Scar of Fire
by The Sage of Time
Summary: FINISHED!! When dreams of Ryoko's past come back to haunt her, and a friend long thought dead returns, the Masaki clan plunges head first into an alter-dimension to escape danger, only to find it waiting for them in the least likely of places. R&R! ^-^
1. Notes from Minagi

~Notes from Minagi~  
  
Hey all! My story was deleted, so I had to reload it…damn. .  
  
Well, anyway, just a review, if you see something that looks totally out of place (example: God only knows what she's thinking. Man I wish I did. He wanted to ask her…yeah, I think you get it), the person is thinking! When I originally typed this, it was in Italics, so it looked so much better. Also, when the scene changes suddenly (like when it changes from Ryoko's room at night to by the lake at sunset…this mostly applies to the first three or four chapters, not including this one), just keep in mind, the original draft looked better. They're two different points in time, not the same…if you can understand that. I think you'll start to get it once you start to read.  
  
On a further note, I think I should explain when this story takes place. It takes place after the OVA series, and from the episode where Nagi comes along in the TV series (No Need for Arch Rivals) on. So, in other words, Kiyone is in existence, Ryoko is a resurrected demon/demon summoner, and Tsunami and Sasami are one in the same. Oh yeah! Zero and Ryoko are assimilated. I think you can take it from there.  
  
This IS a Tenchi and Ryoko story, and it has come to my attention that I may have strayed from that relationship POV for a chapter or two. Actually, if you look hard enough, I don't really stray from it, it's there, just…not as…for lack of better terms…OBVIOUS as people think it should be.  
  
All characters (except Kyoko, Haruki, and any other character whom I happen to make up along the way) belong to Pioneer and AIC. Don't sue me for making this. I really have nothing to lose, considering I'm dead broke ninety-five percent of the time.  
  
Oh, yes, one last thing. To all flamers, you can post what you like, bitch all you want, send me hate mail and death threats, ect. Etc., but you know, what I will say in response? Unless you have a good strong backup, my reply will be "I don't give a crap." I know I say that in my review listing, but not everyone reads the review listings, so I figured I could say it here.  
  
I think I've bothered you enough with a pre-story author's rant (damn, that was longer than I intended it to be), so I'll shut up (for now) and let you get on with the story. Any questions, comments, suggestions, praise, hatemail, bomb threats, ways to hack into my best friend's PC, Etc. Etc. blah blah blah, send them to starescapeevolution@hotmail.com.  
  
Oh, yeah! PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I love hearing from you guys! I won't trash any of you, don't worry!  
  
~Minagi~ 


	2. Nightmare

Her lungs did not expand. They had refused to. The pain that had spread through her body only made it worse. She had long before stopped breathing. The blood had long before stopped coursing down her arm. She had long before died.  
  
Ryoko opened her golden-yellow eyes to the world around her, and realized she was floating in vast darkness. It was like an empty space, an empty dimension, only there was some kind of wind. It spoke of sorrow and death; pain and destruction. Her cyan spikes of hair blew aimlessly in it. She raised her hand and rubbed her eyes, unintentionally smearing blood across her face. Her skin was pale and cold. She was naked.  
  
"What the...what the hell happened to my battle suit?! And where the hell am I?!" Ryoko looked wildly around, but still seeing nothing.  
  
She put her hand to her face, covering and closing her eyes, spreading more blood. She felt weak and tired, almost unreal. When she opened her eyes, she gasped. She could see straight through her hand! Quickly, she looked down at her body. Her skin was so pale, it was almost totally transparent.  
  
"What is going on?" she whispered to herself, looking up.  
  
Out of nowhere, a limp figure appeared in front of her. It was wearing a black and red tight battle suit with puffy shoulders. It's head hung low, eyes closed. The cyan spiked hair hung loosely around its head. There was a dark crimson stain on the figure's left side.  
  
Blood.  
  
"Oh God. That's me." Ryoko couldn't believe what she was seeing.  
  
"Exactly, Ryoko," a voice, so cold, spoke in the darkness. It sounded so familiar.  
  
"Who are you? What do you mean? What in the hell is going on?!" Mixed feelings flowed through her mind. Fear and anger, mostly. She was getting pissed. Oh, was she getting pissed.  
  
What is happening?!  
  
"You know who I am, Ryoko." The voice was like no other. Merciless, hateful. Yet Ryoko still couldn't place it.  
  
Suddenly, she felt herself fading. But the strange thing was, as she faded, her body seemed to gain more life, like it was coming back. Only when she felt the unbearable pain in her side did she realize that she was fading back into her body. The spirit and the body were once again becoming one. Only, this was not a good thing.  
  
Ryoko's pain increased. It spread throughout her body. It seemed to penetrate her soul, blinding her. Tears formed in her eyes. Tears of her own red lifeline. The dark red blood began to flow again. Her lungs screamed for air. She was going to die for a second time.  
  
No, this is worse than last time.  
  
Blood splattered from the wound that had earlier sealed her fate. She grew weaker from the loss of the vital fluid and fell to her knees, holding her side and screaming. The voice was laughing. Ryoko's eyes closed.  
  
She began to cough up her own blood. It spilled out of her mouth and splattered the black and red cloth covering her skin. Her body couldn't take it any longer, and she collapsed. The thick, scarlet liquid seeped through her fingers.  
  
She was screaming as loud as she could, but it was a scream no one would hear. Her heart was slowing…slowing…stopping. There was nothing she could do.  
  
Ryoko, cold and sweating, woke up screaming and clutching her side. 


	3. Memories of Pain

A piercing scream penetrated the Masaki household. It came out of total silence. Young Sasami was the first to wake up.  
  
"What? What's that? Aeka!! Aeka, wake up!" she yelled at her sister. The little princess got up out of bed and ran to the door as quick as she could.  
  
"Hmm? What...Sasami, what are...where's that scream...Sasami!!" Aeka had woken up, and was having a hard time stringing two words together. She, too, got out of bed and followed her sister out into the hallway. When she got out there, she saw three other faces peeking out of rooms along the hall. Mihoshi and Kiyone stepped out onto the dimly lit floor, and so did Tenchi.  
  
The scream stopped, but it echoed throughout the house, sending chills down the spines of those who heard it.  
  
"Miss Ryoko! It was Ryoko! I hope she's okay!" Sasami ran along the hall to the very last door, her light blue hair falling out of the buns she had put them in, closely followed by Ryo-ohki. She opened the door to see the space pirate sitting up in bed, holding her side and breathing heavily.  
  
"Ryoko-san! What happened? Are you okay?" she asked as she walked over to the bed and sat down on it. Ryoko couldn't answer; she continued to breathe heavily, unable to control herself.  
  
"Another dream?" Sasami knew the answer, even before Ryoko nodded. Tenchi walked into the room, followed by Mihoshi and Kiyone. Aeka had gone down to the lab to wake Washuu. Ryo-ohki hopped onto Ryoko's bed and sat down on her owner's lap.  
  
"It was no dream, Sasami. It was a nightmare. Oh God, I hate this." Ryoko looked at the little girl sitting next to her and saw her eyes were full of fear. Sasami placed her hands on Ryoko's leg and stared into her eyes, hoping to see anything about her nightmare. But nothing showed but pain and sorrow.  
  
"That's the fifth time in the past two weeks, Ryoko," Kiyone said, walking over to the bed.  
  
"Was it the same kind? I mean, did..." Tenchi began, but Ryoko interrupted.  
  
"Yes, Tenchi, the same thing happened. Only, this time, I heard someone. And I could feel the pain."  
  
Washuu walked into the room, her long magenta hair swaying behind her. She stopped by Mihoshi, who was asleep on her feet.  
  
"Bakayarou," she said under her breath as she stared and the blonde ditz. She closed her green eyes, shook her head, and continued over to her daughter's bedside.  
  
Aeka, who had followed Washuu upstairs, hung back in the doorway.  
  
"Kiyone...uh..." Washuu gestured to Kiyone's sleeping partner.  
  
"Unbelievable. What an airhead," Kiyone replied, as she walked over to Mihoshi and began to drag her out of the room.  
  
"Sasami-chan, please?" Washuu said. Sasami got up off the bed and backed up beside Tenchi, who had remained standing, unsure of what to do.  
  
Washuu knelt beside her daughter and began examining. She put her hand to her forehead, took her pulse, and questioned her about her dream, recording everything on her transparent-like computer.  
  
"Washuu, what's the point? You've done this to me each time I've had a dream like this," Ryoko said disgusted. "What exactly are you looking for?"  
  
Washuu stopped and stared at Ryoko, pondering her answer. Finally, she replied, "I don't really know."  
  
"Wonderful. Just perfect," the pirate said, unable to hold it in.  
  
Five minutes later, the genius had finished her questioning, got up, bid everyone goodnight, and went back to the lab to try and put together the information she had managed to get.  
  
"Are you going to be okay, Ryoko-san?" Sasami asked, barely awake, now that the shock of waking up to her friend's scream had worn off.  
  
"Hai, Sasami. I am," she said. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Arigatou."  
  
Sasami smiled and turned towards her sister. They both left the room.  
  
"Ryoko...uh...hm..." Tenchi was at a loss for words. He looked down, his brown eyes staring at the floor. He wished he could say something that sounded more educated than "Uh...", but nothing would come out. He raked his fingers through his black hair nervously before looking back up at the only other person in the room. He was amazed to see her smiling. Not her usual, devilish, "I'm up to something and you don't know what" grin. No, her smile was soft, almost angelic.  
  
"I'll be fine," was all she said.  
  
"Okay...uh..." Dangit! I said it again!  
  
Tenchi turned to leave, but was stopped by Ryoko saying his name. He looked back.  
  
"Do you think you could stay in here until I fall asleep?"  
  
The prince blushed. Heavily. "Ryoko...I don't know..."  
  
She did something next that he just couldn't say no to. She unleashed her secret weapon.  
  
"Please?" She gave him the biggest puppy dog eyes he had ever seen. He hated it when anyone gave him puppy dog eyes. He had to obey them, because...well...he didn't know why. Why do other people fall to puppy dog eyes? They just can't help but feel bad.  
  
"Why did you, of all people, have to find my weakness?" he asked, defeated.  
  
"I didn't. You told me," she giggled, flung herself so she was lying down on her side facing him, and threw the covers on top of her body. She wanted to hide the fact that she was still shaking a little.  
  
He walked over and sat beside her bed. The demon summoner leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before he had the chance to stop her.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi's hand shot up to where her lips had touched his skin and he glared at her. In response, she smiled at him with her "I'm up to something and you don't know what" grin. He closed his eyes and shook his head, his hand still on his face.  
  
"Goodnight," Ryoko whispered before she closed her eyes and attempted to fall back asleep. And, amazingly, it didn't take her that long. Within ten minutes, she was sleeping soundly.  
  
Tenchi looked at the sleeping space pirate, and couldn't help but think she looked nothing like the woman he knew. Instead of tough and unbeatable, she looked innocent and vulnerable, like a little girl. She was breathing peacefully, and her hair hung limp around her face.  
  
It was strange, but he had never had a good look at the cyan spikes, but now that he was truly alone with her, nothing to bother him, he seemed to pay more attention to the details, and he found it amazing, what he saw. Before, it looked pointy and hard, but now, for some reason, it looked soft and sleek. He wanted so badly to run his fingers through it to find out which one it was. He held himself back, though, in fear she'd wake up.  
  
The young successor got up to leave the room, but he caught sight of a photograph on her dresser that had always held a lot of his interest.  
  
It was of Ryoko, only she was younger. In the picture, she looked twelve or thirteen, but she was really just over a thousand years old. Her hair was longer and a slightly darker, and her skin was paler than it was today. It was from her first years as a space pirate. She was in her red and black battle suit, standing sideways, looking at the camera. Her right foot was in a dig, her left arm held straight out in front of her, palm facing the camera, hand angled downward. In her right hand was her ever so popular red energy sword. But the major thing that held his attention was that Ryoko wasn't the only person in the picture. There was another girl.  
  
The other girl was a little shorter than Ryoko, with blood red hair and jet black tips. It was up in a high ponytail. Her eyes were deep violet, almost black. She had an outfit like Ryoko's, but without the puffy shoulders. It was black with a fluorescent blue star in the center. Silver lightning-like shapes came from around it. A black skirt that split at the hips came from the catsuit, and the cloth covering her hands was silver. In her hands she held a loaded silver bow and arrow. She stood back to back with Ryoko.  
  
Tenchi had asked Ryoko about that picture many times. Each time she answered in the same way. He remembered the last time they discussed it.  
  
Tenchi came up behind Ryoko, who was sitting on a rock by the lake, staring at the crystal blue water. He intended on scaring her, but once again she gave him the impression that she didn't have to see things to know they were going on.  
  
"Hey, Tenchi. What's up?" she asked, not taking her golden eyes off the water. There was a soft wind that day, and it blew her dress around her ankles.  
  
"How did you know it was me?" he asked, amazed.  
  
"I have Extra Sensory Perception," she joked, finally tearing her eyes from the lake to look at him as he sat down beside her rock.  
  
"Extra Sensory what?" He had no idea what she was talking about.  
  
"ESP."  
  
"Oh. I see." He looked at her to see she had turned her eyes back to the lake. The sun was now setting on it, and the light reflected on her skin and hair, giving them both an orangy tint. In her eyes, there was painted a perfect mirror image of the sunset.  
  
"So, what's up?" Ryoko broke his concentration when she looked at him. She noticed he was staring at her, and she gave him a confused look. "What?"  
  
He laughed at the look on her face. This annoyed her.  
  
"What? What is so funny? Tenchi, tell me!"  
  
"Nothing, Ryoko-san. Nothing."  
  
He called me Ryoko-san. This had gotten her attention. He barely ever calls me Ryoko-san!  
  
He noticed she was looking at him strangely, and this sent him into another fit of laughter.  
  
"Ah, shut up!" she looked at him disgusted. She hated being laughed at.  
  
He noticed she was getting mad, and he quickly stopped laughing.  
  
"Gomen, Ryoko. I didn't mean to make you mad," Tenchi said, apologetically.  
  
She looked at him angrily for a moment, then her face broke into a soft smile.  
  
"I know." She looked back to the lake, and his eyes followed hers.  
  
They sat looking out at the scenery for what seemed like an eternity, but what turned out to only be five minutes.  
  
"So, what's on your mind, Tenchi?" Ryoko asked for a third time.  
  
"Actually, I have a question for you," he answered.  
  
"Knock yourself out."  
  
"It's about that picture on your dresser."  
  
She looked down and didn't answer right away. Finally, she said, "We've talked about that many times. I've told you there's nothing to tell you about that thing. That was taken a long time ago. Before Kagato."  
  
"I know, but you're wrong when you say we've talked about it. You haven't told me anything. Not even the girl's name. I've asked Washuu, but she doesn't even know. Why can't you talk about it?" His voice was harsher than he wanted it to be, but before he had the chance to apologize, Ryoko had stood up, her white dress and green and orange tailcoat blew around her body.  
  
"I don't remember her name." Tenchi could tell she was lying, but he didn't push her. There were tears in her eyes, and they had begun to fall down her cheeks.  
  
"Why can't you talk about it? Did something..." he began, but stopped when she turned to face him.  
  
"Yes, Tenchi. Something happened. Can't you just drop it?" She began to shake slightly from crying. "It's cold out. I'm going back." Her voice trembled as she spoke. Ryoko teleported out of sight, and Tenchi was left alone to deal with his thoughts.  
  
Cold nothing. It's the middle of May. He knew he had unintentionally hurt her. Badly.  
  
That happened around two weeks ago, about when her dreams first began. After that, he decided not to consult her about it again. He came to the conclusion that the picture obviously caused Ryoko pain.  
  
But why does she keep it up if it hurts so much?  
  
Obviously the girl had meant something to Ryoko, whoever she was...  
  
The prince took his eyes of the photograph and walked silently out of the room, not looking back.  
  
~*~  
  
The morning dawned dark and stormy. Forecast? Rain. The 2074-year-old space pirate opened her eyes to find she was alone, for the most part. She had slept rather soundly after she had fallen back asleep. Slowly, she sat up in bed, and realized Ryo-ohki was lying beside her.  
  
"Ryo-ohki? You slept in here?" She scratched behind the cabbit's brown and white ears.  
  
"Miya?" Ryo-ohki woke up and stared up at her owner. Ryoko laughed a little before getting up out of bed.  
  
"Hmmm...what should I wear today?" She phased into the first outfit that came to mind: her Zero outfit.  
  
"Miya!" Ryo-ohki said in approval.  
  
"You like this thing don't you?" Ryoko looked down at the black, yellow, red, and pink getup. She hated it. At least, part of her did. The other half loved it.  
  
Shut up, Zero, she told her other half. The two personalities had become one before, but they still disagreed on a few things, this outfit being one of them. But Ryoko had long before gotten used to the idea of someone else sharing her body, therefore gotten used to telling it to shut up so she could do her own thing.  
  
Why did I let Washuu talk me into assimilating with you, Zero?!  
  
*I don't know, why did you?* Washuu broke into Ryoko's thoughts.  
  
*Damnit, Washuu! How many times have I told you to stay out of my mind?* Washuu had startled the yellow-eyed summoner.  
  
*And how many times have I told you that's no way to talk to your mother?* Washuu retaliated.  
  
*What do you want?* Ryoko knew she had lost that one, so she changed the subject.  
  
*Breakfast is ready.*  
  
*Breakfast?!* This cheered Ryoko up a great deal. *Hot damn! Be down in a minute!* And she closed the link.  
  
"Ryo-ohki, come on! Breakfast!" The pirate held her arms open to her ship, and Ryo-ohki jumped into them. Ryoko pulled the cabbit over and held her below her diaphragm.  
  
"Miya! Miya Miya! Mi-ya!!" the rabbit-like creature looked into the face of her holder.  
  
"I agree. Let's go." And with that, the two teleported downstairs.  
  
"Geeze, Ryoko, you slept like a rock after you fell asleep last night!" Tenchi said as soon as he saw the young woman. Before she had time to think of something to say, Sasami walked into the room, carrying the final dish of the morning meal.  
  
"Ah, Ryoko! Ohayo Gozaimasu!" she said.  
  
"Ohayo gozaimasu to you, too, Sasami-chan," Ryoko said with a nod as she took her usual spot by Tenchi at the table.  
  
"Oh great, the whole morning's ruined now. I do hope you slept all right last night, Ryoko, because after you woke us all up, I couldn't get back to sleep," Aeka said as she came to sit at the table with the rest of the family.  
  
"Shut up, Aeka! I know you stood in the doorway, I'm no idiot!" Ryoko shot back.  
  
"Well, you know, if..." Aeka began, but she was stopped by Tenchi holding up his hand.  
  
"Both of you! Can't you just get along for once?"  
  
"NO!" the pirate and the first crown princess shouted. They stared at each other, and sparks seemed to fly between them. Then, they both looked the other way, noses in the air.  
  
"They're hopeless," Kiyone said, shaking her head at the two quarreling females.  
  
"Well, if Miss Space Pirate would just go back to the dark star where she belongs, then things would be much better and quieter around here," Aeka said, looking sideways at Ryoko, eyebrow twitching.  
  
"Ha, you know, you're so obsessed with the "dark star", Aeka, so why don't you go and see what it's like?" said Ryoko. She stood up and faced her enemy, but they didn't face each other for long.  
  
"C'mon, both of you! Aeka, Miss Ryoko, please!" Sasami begged. "Can't we just have a peaceful breakfast for once?"  
  
The two continued to stare at each other for a few seconds (in which everyone feared one of them would explode), but they eventually sat down, Ryoko where she was and Aeka across from her, next to her little sister.  
  
After a long breakfast (during which all at the table were positive Aeka would claw Ryoko's eyes out or Ryoko would blast Aeka into smithereens), Kiyone and Mihoshi left the house to head for their part time job, Washuu went into her lab and once again wrapped herself up in her research, and Tenchi left for his usual chores in the fields. Noboyuki was out for a few days on a business trip in Kyoto, and Katsuhito was at the shrine (as usual). Now, the three remaining women were left in the house to do the housework.  
  
"All right, so it's Aeka's turn to do laundry, and my turn to sweep, and Ryoko's turn to...hey...where is Ryoko?" Sasami, in the middle of reciting the chores for the day, realized the pirate was no where in sight.  
  
"She's probably off with Tenchi in the fields! Ohh, I can't stand that woman!" Aeka fumed.  
  
MEANWHILE in the fields  
  
"You know, Ryoko, I'm sure the other girls would appreciate it greatly if you helped out around the house," Tenchi said, eyebrow raised, to the one floating in midair and hanging off his shoulders.  
  
"Mm-mm!! No way! I'd rather be out here with you, Tenchi!" Ryoko shook her head vigorously, causing the long cyan hair at the sides of her face to fly this way and that.  
  
The rain had temporarily stopped a little earlier. Tenchi was supposed to be tending to the carrot fields, but instead he was in the carrot fields trying to convince a certain space pirate to go back to the house and help out. It wasn't working.  
  
"Ryoko! C'mon!" he pleaded.  
  
"No! I'm staying out here! And there's nothing you can do about it!" she responded.  
  
"Then could you please get off me?" He figured out that as long as she's being this stubborn, he was fighting a losing battle.  
  
She buried her head into her arms, her hair caressing his cheek. He felt her sigh deeply, and she finally released him. But instead of going to the house, she floated in midair right behind him.  
  
Tenchi worked silently, while Ryoko sat cross-legged in midair, staring at the dark gray sky. Ten minutes passed in silence. Then, Tenchi suddenly straightened up, and he, too looked to the sky. Off in the distance, a flash of reddish white light lit up the sky, followed by a loud rumble that shook the clouds. Little drops of rain fell to the ground and splashed up. Another white bolt of lightning split the sky. This time, the thunder that followed was not a loud rumble, but a sharp, splitting crack.  
  
Ryoko looked down at Tenchi, who looked at her. She wanted to throw her arms around him and pull her "Oh I'm so scared!" stunt, but thought better of it. Instead, she stepped on the ground, just as another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. Its light flashed in her eyes, making her raise her hand to shield them.  
  
"Ryoko, let's go back. There's no way I'm working in this." Ryoko blinked and saw Tenchi gesturing in the direction of the house and holding out his hand towards her. She looked at him questioningly. The rain went from sprinkling to pouring.  
  
"Ryoko, come on!" She nodded and placed her hand in his. His fingers closed around her black cloth-covered ones, and they began to run, using their other hands to cover their heads.  
  
"Tenchi, wait!" the pirate stopped in her tracks. This sudden action caused Tenchi to trip, but Ryoko pulled him back up before he hit the ground.  
  
"I have an idea!" She faced him, took his other hand, and closed her eyes, picturing the inside of the Masaki household. Soon, they found themselves in the front hallway. Instead of enduring the storm raging outside, they were soon to endure a particular purple-hair princess who looked like she was practically foaming at the mouth.  
  
"Oh no. Here we go again," Ryoko said under her breath, rolling her golden eyes in disgust.  
  
Eyebrow twitching, heat rising in her face, Aeka stopped in front of the two in the hall.  
  
Ryoko realized she was still holding Tenchi's hands. She let go, and instead of backing off, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
"Now, Tenchi, we can go to my room and play," she said in a seductive voice.  
  
"What?!" Tenchi tried to pull away, but she kept her grip. This act was having the effect intended.  
  
Aeka walked over to Ryoko and pried her from Tenchi.  
  
"You stay away from him, you demon woman!"  
  
"What? Everyone knows how intimate Tenchi and I are!" Ryoko was laughing inside, and trying as hard as she could to keep her voice from cracking with laughter.  
  
Aeka looked as though you could have fried an egg on her face. She was about to say something, but stopped.  
  
"Well, this seems entertaining enough, but I think I'm going to go to bed," he said as he began to walk quickly up the stairs.  
  
"Wait, Tenchi!" Ryoko began to fly over to him, but Aeka grabbed her hand and pulled her back.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" she said.  
  
The two feuding women stared each other down. Then, Ryoko broke it off and transported herself to her bedroom. She was soaked, but for some odd reason, too tired to really care. She went over to her bed and sat down, bringing her legs up to her chest and resting her head on her knees.  
  
Ever since her dreams had begun, she had begun feeling overly tired at times. And this was one of those times. Before she even knew what was happening, she fell over on her bed, dead asleep.  
  
~*~  
  
Ryoko was awakened by a sharp tapping on her door.  
  
"Miss Ryoko! Wake up! It's time for dinner!" Sasami's voice floated through the cracks to Ryoko's ears.  
  
"Hmm...what...oh. Al-all right, Sasami. Coming," she replied, sleepily. She teleported herself so she was right outside her door, facing the light blue-haired little girl.  
  
"C'mon! It's getting cold!" Sasami gave Ryoko a disappointed look before she started downstairs, closely followed by the floating pirate.  
  
When the two got to the table, they found Kiyone (who was yelling at Mihoshi), Mihoshi (who was crying, "What did I do? What did I do?"), Tenchi (who was shaking his head), Washuu (who was either ignoring the two yelling women or was totally oblivious to the whole situation), and Aeka (who looked very annoyed).  
  
The two blue-haired girls looked at each other, began to snicker, then looked away before they burst out laughing. Then, they took their spots. It was then that Washuu showed some signs of life.  
  
She cleared her throat. Kiyone and Mihoshi didn't stop. Washuu cleared her throat again, this time louder. The two still didn't stop.  
  
"Hey you two! Are you ready to eat?!" she screamed, aggravated. The two froze, Mihoshi with her arms in the air, Kiyone with her hands around Mihoshi's throat. "There we go!" Washuu smiled with satisfaction.  
  
When everyone was settled in and ready to stuff his or her faces, they all said, "Well, bon a petite (sp?)" and began. Ryoko, who was done in a matter of five minutes, looked at Aeka, who was barely through her first dish.  
  
"Damn, Aeka. You are way to slow. I mean, I'm done!"  
  
"Yes, well, I particularly like to eat my food, instead of wear it!" Aeka eyed a spot on Ryoko's shoulder where she had dropped a piece of food. Ryoko looked at it and picked it up, popping it in her mouth.  
  
The rest of the meal was relatively quiet (unless you count Mihoshi accidentally flinging a piece of fish into Kiyone's hair and Kiyone practically blowing up). When everyone was finished, Sasami was the first to speak.  
  
"Tenchi, Ryoko, you're on dish duty."  
  
"But, wait, isn't it only my turn?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Yeah! Since when is it mine?" Ryoko asked, giving Sasami a half-questioning look half-accusing stare.  
  
"Well, you were supposed to do them this afternoon, but since you weren't here, you can do it tonight," the little princess explained.  
  
Damn. I got stuck this time, Ryoko thought to herself.  
  
"Okay, Ryoko?"  
  
Ryoko was pulled from her thoughts by Tenchi's voice.  
  
"What?" she asked him, totally oblivious to the fact he had just been talking to her.  
  
The rest of the gang laughed at her, making her mad.  
  
"I said, how about I was them, and you dry them?"  
  
She looked at his smiling face, and realized he was on the verge of laughing at her too. Glaring at him, she replied, "All right, fine." And the two began to clear off the table.  
  
Tenchi and Ryoko were almost done with the dishes. Tenchi was washing a bowl and Ryoko had just finished a plate. She put it up and picked up a large cutting knife that Sasami had used to cut the vegetables with.  
  
Tenchi stopped what he was doing and looked at Ryoko. She had stopped drying the knife and was absentmindedly staring at her reflection in the blade.  
  
God only knows what she's thinking about. Man, I wish I did. He wanted to ask her again about the picture, but he didn't want to hurt her again. He stood there battling with himself whether he should ask her again.  
  
It wouldn't hurt...I hope. So, he gathered up as much courage as he could.  
  
"Uh, Ryoko?"  
  
"Mm-hm?" He hadn't phased her one bit. She continued to stare at the blade as though it were some kind of treasure.  
  
"Uh...how to say..." Tenchi couldn't find the words.  
  
"You know, you don't have to hold back. Just say it," she pulled her eyes from the blade, and let it drop by her side, letting the rest of the soapy water drip off of it.  
  
"Uh...okay...uh..." He tried to form it into words, and finally came out with it, "Who's the girl in the picture on your dresser?"  
  
Ryoko, once again, didn't answer right away. She looked from the floor, to the blade in her hand, back to the floor. When she spoke, her voice was cold as ice.  
  
"How many times are you going to ask me about her? I have told you many times that she is no one of importance. That was many years ago, and I don't remember her."  
  
He hated to hear her like this, especially when it was because of him. But he wanted answers. He didn't want to be lied to anymore.  
  
"I know you're lying to me. Please tell me. You're going to be no better off with it kept inside you," the prince told her.  
  
"There is nothing to talk about, for the last time. What is it that holds your interest?" The pirate's voice was ice. She looked at Tenchi, and he backed up out of fear. He had pushed her to the limit.  
  
"Tell me. You can trust me." He was being an idiot. He kept going; he wanted answers.  
  
"Apparently I can't. I thought you got the message last time, but no." She was screaming at him, her right fist balling up tighter and tighter around the knife's blade. Blood dripped from her clenched hand.  
  
"Uh, Ryoko..." Tenchi tried to tell her about the knife, but she wasn't listening.  
  
"All right, fine! You want to know who she is?! Huh?! Her name was Kyoko! She was my partner, my best friend! "Was" because she's dead! Yeah! Dead!" Ryoko ranted. He had definitely made a big mistake. Tears streamed down her face, but her eyes were full of merciless hatred. Her fist continued to tighten around the blade. And still she continued. "Do you want to know why she's dead, huh? Because of me! I caused the explosion that killed her! It was my goddamn fault!" She noticed she was still holding the knife. "Shit!"  
  
A puddle of blood had formed by her feet. She raised her hand in front of her body and pulled the blade out, which had sunk a centimeter and a half into her palm. She threw it on the floor and it skidded through the puddle, making a trail of blood. Tenchi picked it up and looked at the blade. A drop of blood fell from the stainless silver to his skin to the ground. He looked at Ryoko, who was looking out the window. It looked like she was trying to shatter it under her stare.  
  
"Ry-Ryoko?" Tenchi asked, uncertainly.  
  
"No! Leave me alone, Tenchi! Just leave me alone!" And with that, Ryoko disappeared. To where, no one knew.  
  
"Tenchi?"  
  
Tenchi turned around to the doorway and saw Sasami, Ryo-ohki, Washuu, Aeka, Kiyone, and Mihoshi standing there, looking at him, totally shocked. They had seen the whole thing. 


	4. Drowning Sorrow and Living Death

Pain.  
  
Sadness.  
  
Memories.  
  
Nightmares.  
  
Anger.  
  
Everything Ryoko felt was combining in her head. She couldn't take it. She wanted to cry, but she had shed all the tears she could. Her hand was throbbing; her head was throbbing; nothing was right.  
  
Blood was seeping through the cloth around her hand. It was no longer black, but a deep red.  
  
Ryoko turned her swollen, bloodshot eyes up to the sky. The storm had stopped, and the sky was black and full of clouds. The rock on which she was sitting was wet, mostly from the rain. The lake was gray. It reminded Ryoko of her dreams. Full of some unknown background, mystery, and depth, like there was something more to the story. It called to her.  
  
The pirate slid off the rock and into the water, letting it consume her body. It was cold and lifeless. She closed her eyes and let her head fall beneath the dark surface. She felt the water rush over her wound, and she felt the blood leave it. She was escaping her dreams, her memories. Her lungs began to scream for air. She had not held her breath.  
  
Ryoko's head broke the surface of the water and she gasped in the cool night breeze. She was freezing. Her hand stung as the air touched it. Red water ran off it into the lake. She sighed deeply, bringing her hand back below the water. She stood there with her hand under, letting the red body fluid flow out for some time. She had no idea what she was doing, and she didn't care.  
  
When Ryoko finally did rise, she looked to the sky before getting out of the lake and sitting back on her rock. She lay on her side, letting the water run of her almost frozen body. It felt as though she had no warmth left in her, not even in her heart.  
  
~*~  
  
"Kyoko? Her name was Kyoko?"  
  
Sasami was sitting on the pinkish couch in the family room. Her sister was sitting next to her, holding her hand. The small princess had been slightly disturbed by the events that had taken place in the kitchen. Mihoshi was sitting next to Aeka, and Kiyone was standing by the couch. Tenchi was sitting on the smaller couch. Washuu was out of the room.  
  
"That's what she said. I'm trying to remember her file," Kiyone replied. "I'll ask Washuu to access Yagami's database when she gets back."  
  
"Access Yagami's database? Sure, I can do that!" Washuu strolled casually into the room, holding a picture.  
  
"Washuu-sama…er…-chan, may I see the picture?" Sasami asked politely. Washuu handed it to her, and she turned it over to see two girls staring up at her. One of them was Ryoko; the other was supposedly Kyoko.  
  
She looked like Ryoko in a way. Dangerous warrior on the outside, pirate on the inside, with something that few could see mixed in. A gentle side. Loving, caring.  
  
"So, you want me to access Yagami's database? All right. Shove over, Tenchi," Washuu said, walking over to the second couch. She sat down, pulled up her computer and began typing on various keys.  
  
Sasami gave the picture to her sister, who looked at it with Kiyone and Mihoshi peering over her shoulder.  
  
"She looks familiar. I think I saw her old wanted poster once." Kiyone walked over to Washuu and looked over her shoulder. After thirty more seconds, Washuu had pulled up the old pirate's file.  
  
"Case number 80812028, space pirate Kyoko, partner to the space pirate Ryoko (case number 80812029)," Washuu read aloud. "Age: 1112; gender: female; Died: 21 May, 89,556 (standard Jurian year); Cause of Death: explosion in a First Universal Bank of Jurai. Believed to have been accidental, caused by her partner, Ryoko."  
  
"So that's why she never talked about her," Tenchi said.  
  
"But it was an accident," Sasami said.  
  
"True, but she still blames herself. If I had of known…" Tenchi's voice trailed off.  
  
The group remained silent for a while. Then, Tenchi stood up.  
  
"I'm going to go find her," he said as he walked towards the door. Sasami got up and ran over to him.  
  
"I wanna come, too."  
  
"Sasami, stay here," Aeka told her sister.  
  
"But she's hurt." Sasami stood her ground, looking at Aeka. Finally she gave up. "All right. But if you do find her, Tenchi, wrap this around her hand," she ordered, handing him a piece of rose pink cloth. With that, Tenchi left the house.  
  
  
  
The young prince had no idea where to start. There were a number of places Ryoko could have been.  
  
He decided to start with the nearest place: the roof. He knew she loved it up there. He backed up so he could see on top of the house, but it was too dark. He was going to have to climb to the roof if he wanted to look. So, he grabbed a ladder and leaned it against the side of the house. Slowly, he began to climb up the ladder, trying not to look down.  
  
When he reached the roof, he was disappointed to see that the pirate wasn't there. He walked to the edge and sat down, facing the lake.  
  
The sky was beginning to clear up a little, and a sliver of the pale, frosted moon could be seen through the black clouds. It's faint glow reflected off the still black lake below.  
  
The lake! The realization hit Tenchi like a ton of bricks. If she's not on the roof, she'll by the lake!  
  
He got up quickly. Too quickly. His foot slipped out from under him and he began to slide down the roof. He reached out blindly, and managed to grab a hold of the board that ran along the top of the shingles. Slowly, he got up on his hands and knees and steadied himself. He crawled to the ladder and lowered himself. He didn't bother to climb down. Instead, he slid down.  
  
I'll worry about the ladder later.  
  
He sprinted to the shore, narrowly avoiding running into a tree he didn't see right away. The water slapped softly against the sandy shore. The gentle breeze played an almost quiet song as it cast ripples across the otherwise smooth surface. Giving the shore a quick scan, Tenchi saw nothing. So he began to walk along it, occasionally throwing a look across the water to see if he could see her.  
  
  
  
Tenchi had been searching for almost two hours, and he still had seen no sign of the cyan-haired fighter. He was tired, and his feet were dragging. The sky was now totally clear. The silvery-blue moon created shadows that jumped around, from the trees to the sand to the water and back. The wind had picked up, and the boy wrapped his jacket tighter around him.  
  
He was close to giving up looking by the lake when he saw the rock Ryoko sometimes sat on. But what caught his attention and relieved him a great deal was what was on top of it.  
  
Ryoko, there you are, he thought as he ran over to her.  
  
She was asleep. Her body rose and fell with every deep breath she took. She was curled into a tight ball and shivering. Her injured hand lay hanging beside the rock. The blood had stopped, but as Tenchi got closer, he could see it still looked pretty bad.  
  
The prince kneeled down beside the sleeping demon summoner and gingerly picked up her hand. Though the cloth around it was dry, it still felt cold. He held it in his in his own hand while he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the rose colored cloth Sasami had given to him. He wrapped it around her palm and tied it. Carefully, he set her arm back down and reached up to her face. Her skin was cold and her hair was a little damp.  
  
Tenchi didn't know how it happened, but he somehow managed to pick Ryoko up and put her into piggyback position. Her head drooped down so it lay where his shoulder met his neck, and she slept on. Careful not to wake the one on his back, the successor began to walk up to the house.  
  
  
  
When Tenchi finally reached to warmth of the front hall, he carefully bent over and removed his shoes, almost losing Ryoko. As he replaced her, Aeka and Kiyone walked in.  
  
"Oh, good, you found her," Kiyone said, relief in her voice.  
  
"Yeah, but she's totally out of it," Tenchi replied. "Where are the others?"  
  
"Sasami and Mihoshi are asleep, and Washuu's in her lab," Kiyone explained.  
  
"Uh, Lord Tenchi? What is she doing on your back?" Aeka asked, rather loudly.  
  
"Shhhh!" Kiyone and Tenchi silenced that angry princess. On Tenchi's back, Ryoko groaned. She gripped Tenchi's white T-shirt in her hand and buried her head deeper into his neck, still asleep.  
  
"I'm going to take her upstairs to my room," he told the two women as he began to walk to the stairs.  
  
"Your room?!" Aeka shrieked. Kiyone silenced her again.  
  
"It's closest!" He walked up the stairs, stopping mid-way to readjust the pirate.  
  
When the prince reached his room, he walked to his bed and pulled back the covers. Slowly, he removed Ryoko and lay her down. Then, he replaced the covers and sat on the floor by the bed.  
  
Poor thing, she's got to be tired, Tenchi thought as he looked at her sleeping form. The moonlight that filtered through the window by the bed illuminated her face.  
  
He, too, was tired. He'd been outside for two hours walking around, sick with worry. Now he was wiped of his energy. And soon, he was also asleep.  
  
  
  
The darkness was solid, interrupted only by the white light of the moon. The demon summoner opened her golden yellow eyes to find she was in a soft bed. She was no longer cold, but warm and comfortable. She groaned and sat up, rolling through her back, causing it to crack a couple times. She raised her hand and rubbed her eyes before she looked at it.  
  
Her palm was wrapped tightly with a pink colored cloth. It didn't hurt as much as it did, and Ryoko had the feeling it was already healing itself.  
  
It'll take a few days, but at least it'll heal, she thought as she balled up her fist and put it down so she could look around.  
  
Since there wasn't much light, she couldn't make out much of her surroundings.  
  
There was movement beside the bed. Ryoko looked down and immediately understood where she was and how she got there. Tenchi was asleep by the futon, lying on his back. She looked at him through saddened and angry eyes. Apparently he had carried her to his room.  
  
"Man, I'm still in this outfit? I need a bath," she said, realizing what she was still wearing. She floated up and disappeared.  
  
Beside the futon, Tenchi opened his eyes. He'd awaken when Ryoko had, but he hadn't shown it to her. He didn't even bother to follow her. He knew where she was off to. Instead, he turned his head to his dresser and looked at the clock. It read 1:27 AM. He shifted his position and fell back asleep.  
  
  
  
Tenchi opened his eyes again, hoping for light to be streaming in through his window, but he wound up finding it was still pitch black out. He looked up on his dresser to see he had slept a total of 34 minutes. It was 3:01 AM. This was turning out to be a crappy night to sleep. He turned onto his side and found the futon was still empty. He suddenly sat up.  
  
Where is she?  
  
He knew he shouldn't have been worried about her, but he couldn't help it. She had been out in the onsen this long many times before, but never this early in the morning. At least, as far as he knew.  
  
The prince got up and walked out of his room, down the stairs, out the door, and out to the onsen, trying to be quiet. The sky was totally clear above him, and the moon and stars both shown a pearly white.  
  
He walked quietly to the door and slid it open. He tiptoed in and closed the door behind him. The temperature rose quite a bit, due to the steam. Tenchi walked in the shadows over to a bunch over odd green and purple plants that Washuu had planted a few weeks back. Their large, violet leaves were about the size of his head, and the flowers it produced were swirled with emerald green and plum, with furry leaf-like things sprouting out of the center. He hid behind them and looked over to the water.  
  
Ryoko was lying in the water. She arched her back as she sat up, the moonlight bouncing off her skin, making it look perfectly white. Her hair was soaking wet, and it stuck to her back. She stood up slowly, and Tenchi had to look away. His pants suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable, and he felt very hot in the face. And this particular heat rise had nothing to do with the steam of the bath. He glanced back over and saw she had gotten out of the onsen and was now drying off about two meters away from him. He looked away, and shifted, trying to loosen his pants. This caused the plants to rustle.  
  
"Who's there?" Ryoko called out; stopping what she was doing and looking at the strange plants. They really were odd looking. Washuu had cloned them off a plant from a distant planet, and had altered their DNA. Originally, they were yellow and navy. Why Washuu chose emerald and purple was beyond what Ryoko knew.  
  
When no one responded to he call, she continued, relieved. She didn't fell like confronting anyone in combat. She was too relaxed, and, not to mention, butt naked, and she was too tired and weak to teleport or phase. So, basically, in battle right now, she'd get her ass kicked.  
  
She walked over to a rock and put down the towel, at the same time picking up her red, low-cut undersuit.  
  
What is wrong with me? I haven't been myself lately, the pirate thought. It sure ain't that time of month. Am I becoming depressed? She stepped into the red suit and pulled it up.  
  
Tenchi looked over to the cyan beauty, and saw she was wearing her tight, red undersuit. She had her white dress in her hands and was about to put it on. He couldn't help but notice how the red cloth covering her body really brought out her curves. He began to drool.  
  
Shifting again, Tenchi lost his balance, and he fell out from behind his sheltering plants. This scared Ryoko.  
  
"Tenchi!!" she shrieked. "What the hell are you doing here?!"  
  
"Uhh…he he…hey, Ryoko," he replied, sweatdropping.  
  
She scowled and threw down her dress, putting her hands on her hips. Her eyes were cold, and Tenchi could tell she was not pleased to see him.  
  
"What do you want?" she sneered.  
  
"I…I was worried about you," he said uncertainly.  
  
"The hell you were," she spat back. It hurt him when she was mad like this, so he decided to talk this out.  
  
"Look, Ryoko, I know you're mad at me, and you have the right to be," the prince began, unsure of where he was going to go with this. He stepped towards her, and she stepped back. "I didn't mean to hurt you. All I want to do now is talk."  
  
"About what?" Her voice showed no sign of forgiveness.  
  
"About what happened tonight." He began to cautiously walk towards her, and she walked backwards.  
  
"What happened tonight? All right, I'll tell you what happened. You wouldn't drop the subject of my past!" She was on the edge of the water now. "Aren't you happy with what I told you?!"  
  
"No, Ryoko, that's not…" he began, but the young demon summoner wasn't going to let him have his say.  
  
"Like hell it wasn't. Can't you just live with the fact that I killed someone?!" she screamed.  
  
He took another step towards her, and she stepped back. But when her foot found no place to land, Ryoko fell backwards. Tenchi ran over just in time to grab her hand, but had no time to regain his balance.  
  
To someone who just happened to walk in the onsen at that moment would have been met with a very…interesting…sight. Ryoko had fallen backwards into the water, and landed on her elbows, her knees slightly bent. Her once slightly damp clothing suddenly became soaked. Tenchi had fallen on his knees, straddling Ryoko's waist. His left hand had fallen out in attempt to break his fall, and his elbow had bent underneath him so he was laying on her. His right arm was on Ryoko's back because he had also attempted to stop her from falling. Warm water rushed through his pants and across his arms. Quickly, he sat up and pulled his arm out, but he saw a good side to this situation.  
  
She's gonna want me to get up, he thought to himself. I'm not going to until she talks. It was mean, but if it was what he had to do, then so be it.  
  
"Get up," the pirate said.  
  
"No." He smiled with satisfaction at the look on her face.  
  
"Damnit, Tenchi, get up." She tried to slide out from under him, but he just leaned forward and put his hands on her arms, pinning them to the ground. She stared unforgivingly into his eyes. Oh buddy, she thought, you just messed with the wrong space pirate.  
  
Tenchi knew that look. That particular look Ryoko gives people when she's planning to kill them. And he was getting the full blast of it now. But, though it was hard, he kept his control over her.  
  
"Ryoko, look. I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I never should have pressured you," he told her. That's not exactly what he meant to say. What he meant to say was, "Ryoko, look, the whole thing isn't your fault. The explosion was an accident." But he couldn't form the words.  
  
"That's not going to help," was all she said in reply. She continued to stare into his eyes, like she was trying to blind him.  
  
"All I wanted were some answers! I don't like it when you lie!"  
  
"Answers, huh? All right, I have an answer for you. You want to know what happened?" She gave him no time to respond. "Kyoko and I were robbing the First Universal Bank of Jurai, and since they had given us trouble in the past, we decided to blow it up." Her tone was gradually getting louder. "When we were in the final stages of setting the bomb, Kyoko was in the bank, setting everything up, and I was in her ship with the controls. I thought I heard something behind me, and when I turned around, I saw a shadow that scared me! A shadow!! I jumped backwards and hit the detonate button on the panel. That sent the bomb off!"  
  
Tenchi grimaced at the thought of setting up a bomb and having it suddenly go off.  
  
"I wanted to go in and see if Kyoko was all right, but I heard the Galaxy Police, so I ran! I RAN!! I was thinking I could come back when they were gone. I was watching the news on her ship's screen, and it said they had found a few skin remnants and burnt cloth!" Tears began to well up in her eyes.  
  
The prince wanted to comfort her, but she just kept going. How am I going to silence her? I wanted to know all of this, but not right now! Then it hit him. He knew how.  
  
"They said they belonged to the space pirate Kyoko, and that they were now proclaiming her dead, and I was responsible! I murdered my best friend and then ran! I'm a coward, Tenchi! Damnit, I'm a freaking…"  
  
Ryoko was stopped abruptly when Tenchi's lips touched her own. She was taken by surprise. He moved his hands from her arms to behind her body.  
  
Her lips were soft. He watched as her eyes slowly drooped, and finally shut. He was about to break the kiss when he felt something. It wasn't a physical feeling. Tenchi couldn't explain in. He closed his own eyes and let it fill his heart. He saw sadness, pain, joy, happiness, and…love. These were Ryoko's feelings he had accepted into him. Feelings for the one she loved so dearly, yet who never returned the feeling. Sadness for how much it hurt to accept that maybe he didn't want to love her. Pain for all the memories of her past. And happiness for how much she still cherished her life and everyone in it.  
  
He felt her body quiver under him as he ran is hand along her side. He stopped and lowered it to the solid ground below them. It crept across the floor until it found her hand. The two locked fingers, and the kiss deepened.  
  
His free hand went up along her spine, up her neck, and into her hair. He could tell, though it was damp, it was still soft as silk.  
  
Looks really can be deceiving.  
  
The successor and the summoner held the kiss a little longer. Finally, Ryoko broke it off and stared into Tenchi's eyes. It wasn't the death glare he was getting earlier. It was unreadable. He got up and held her hand to help her up.  
  
When he had pulled her to a standing position, she walked close to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder, and cried. Her shoulders heaved up and down with her body. Unsure of what to do, he patted her stupidly on the back. Though he had just kissed her, he still didn't know what to do when she did things like this. That kiss's original purpose was to stop her from talking.  
  
As they were standing in the middle of the bath, Tenchi heard something that sounded like, "Thank you" come from the sobbing woman, but he couldn't be so sure.  
  
"Ryoko," he said softly, "no more tonight. Let's go home so you can sleep. We can talk tomorrow."  
  
She raised her tear-stained eyes to him and nodded. She walked out of the water and began to walk towards her clothes, but Tenchi stopped her.  
  
"You can get that stuff tomorrow." Again, she nodded and walked over to him. He put his arm around her waist and she rested her head on his shoulder. Together, they walked out of the onsen and back towards the yard.  
  
They were walking in silence, Ryoko mainly enjoying Tenchi's company and warmth, Tenchi hoping he was being of some help to her, when Ryoko suddenly stopped by a tree. She stared up into one of the higher branches.  
  
"Ryoko? What's wro…" he began, but she raised her hand to silence him. He walked over beside her and followed her gaze. Immediately, he knew what had caught her attention.  
  
Up in the tree, a dark shadow stood motionless, silhouetted against the light that penetrated the leaves… 


	5. Scar of Fire

My world turned upside down.  
  
Flame coursed through my body.  
  
I've hidden in the shadows  
  
Cast by the blue moon,  
  
Searching for many nights  
  
For what was lost so long ago.  
  
I will track you down.  
  
I will find you…  
  
The prince and pirate stared upwards at a tall, black shadow that was hidden in one of the higher branches of a particularly large Japanese oak tree. They stood there staring at each other. The creature never moved. Time stood still.  
  
Then, suddenly, the shape disappeared.  
  
"What? What happened?" Tenchi asked, perplexed.  
  
"Tenchi! Behind you!" Ryoko screamed as she turned around. The figure charged silently, and Tenchi barely had time to back off. He just managed to dodge a large, silver point coming at him.  
  
Ryoko formed her sword, but because she had little energy, the red weapon was very feeble. All the same, she was willing to protect the one she loved, even if it cost her life itself.  
  
Seeing she had little protection, the successor summoned forth the Tenchi-ken. The bright blue blade almost dazzled him. He flew towards the figure, and realized that it was a human. A girl. He saw her black dress ruffle in the cold night wind. She stepped back and watched him as his feet hit the trunk of the tree. Tenchi jumped off of it, his sandals using the rough bark as a stable ground. He charged at the girl. She raised her hand and shot a fluorescent blue energy ball at him. He knocked it away, but saw she had vanished again. Then he heard Ryoko gasp as the wind was knocked out of her a meter away from him.  
  
He whipped around, and had to stable himself. His head spun with his body, and he stumbled slightly. When his head cleared, Tenchi saw the space pirate down on the ground. Her arms were pinned under the girl's knees, and there was a silver bow and arrow pointing directly at her neck.  
  
A silver bow and arrow!  
  
Tenchi suddenly realized what was happening. He walked forward slowly, letting the light from his sword crawl across the grass. He walked until the light illuminated the girl. He saw long, flowing blood red hair with black tips, and a black silk under suit with a black dress. He gasped.  
  
Ryoko was fed up. How dare this girl attack the greatest space pirate in the universe? She summoned all her energy, and created a blast likely to blow her attacker's brains out. She was about to fire it when Tenchi called her name.  
  
"Ryoko, no!"  
  
The angry pirate stopped, and the girl got off and backed up in shock.  
  
"Ry…Ryoko?!" Her voice was alive and full of surprise.  
  
"Who are you?" Ryoko shouted, intending on intimidating the girl.  
  
"Ryoko, it's me," she said, a note of pleading in her tone. "Kyoko."  
  
  
  
The day was bright and sunny. The Jurain sky was cloudless. A little cyan- haired girl of 687 stalked out of her school. She had just gotten in a fight with her teacher about whether or not there were reasons behind why space pirates do what they do. She had said yes, there were deeper reasons, her teacher had said no. But little did that stupid teacher (or anyone else, for that matter) know, it was Ryoko's ambition to become one of those pirates; to fly freely among the stars; to feel the adrenaline rush through her body at the thought of successfully robbing a bank. Of course, it wouldn't surprise anyone. She was, after all, the school's juvenile delinquent.  
  
"Hey! Wait up!" Ryoko turned around to see one of the girls from her class sprinting across the grass towards her. She had on a black under suit with silver gloves and a black skirt, and her dark red and black hair was tied up in pigtails. Her eyes were a deep shade of purple, and they were full of laughter. Of course, she also happened to be the school's biggest pyromaniac.  
  
"What do you want?" Ryoko sneered. She really didn't want to be pestered by anyone at the moment.  
  
"That was so cool!" she said. "The way you fought with that teacher! I've never seen anyone do that!"  
  
"Uh, gee, thanks," the cyan-haired girl said, while thoughts like How am I going to ditch this girl? kept floating through her head.  
  
"Dude, do you…uh…" the girl began.  
  
"Do I want what? And I'm not a dude," she said in annoyance.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Do you…do you WANT to be a space pirate?" the red head asked, emphasizing the "want" part.  
  
"Why does it matter?"  
  
"I was just curious. I mean, seeing you're the…well…you know."  
  
"I'm the delinquent, and you're the pyro, so what?" Ryoko was liking this girl less and less every second.  
  
"I was wondering 'cuz I think it'd be so cool, to be a pirate. Especially a feared one." A dreamy look passed in her eyes as she thought about it.  
  
"So I want to be a space pirate. Big deal."  
  
"Awesome! Do you, like, have any weapons or anything?" she asked, eagerness rising.  
  
Oh, this'll be good. Do I have any weapons, ha! Everyone knew Ryoko had weapons and was prone to using them. This was sure to get rid of the little pest.  
  
"Oh, yeah. I've got weapons," she said, malicious laughter in her voice.  
  
"Like…?"  
  
Ryoko summoned her energy and formed a long, reddish sword and slashed it across the air towards the girl. She stopped a centimeter from her neck. Ryoko was sure this would scare her. Man, was she wrong.  
  
"Woah…coooool…" she was in no way intimidated. "I've got a bow and arrow! Wanna see?"  
  
Despite the fact Ryoko didn't like the girl, she had always been interested in the bow and arrow. So she replied, "All right. Let's see."  
  
The girl slashed her arm across her chest, and produced a silver bow almost as tall as her, and she waved her hand, forming the arrow. "Give me something to shoot. Anything."  
  
"Anything?" The demon summoner was going to find the smallest, hardest thing to hit. She looked up at her school, and saw, on the top level, a window with something yellow in the center. There was no way the girl could hit it. "How about that?"  
  
"That?" The annoying red head pointed up at the window. Ryoko nodded. "All right." Carefully, she aimed, and fired. It swerved to the left. Ryoko was just basking in her own knowledge when the wind took the arrow right through the glass, directly through the target.  
  
"Holy…nice shot! Did you mean to make it swerve?"  
  
"Yeah, you gotta take into consideration the way the wind is blowing when firing an arrow with the weight of mine."  
  
"Which is…?" The summoner couldn't help but be curious.  
  
"Next to nothing."  
  
"Oh, I see." Okay, maybe the little brat wasn't so annoying. In fact, Ryoko was beginning to wonder if she could cooperate with her. She's just like me!  
  
And, in a way, she was. She thought it'd be cool to be a space pirate; she was good with weapons; she had the guts to shatter one of the school's windows. She was basically Ryoko in a different body…with a few exceptions, of course.  
  
"So, what was your name?" the yellow-eyed girl asked.  
  
"My name's Kyoko."  
  
"Kyoko? Okay. Wanna take a walk? I'm tired of standing here." Ryoko tossed her head towards the school, indicating she didn't want to stay in view of everyone inside it.  
  
"Yeah, sure!" With that said, the two girls walked off the school grounds, discussing what other powers they had. And the next day, when they came to school, everyone there got the first glimpse of the soon to be youngest and most wanted criminals in the universe.  
  
  
  
"Ky…Kyoko?" Ryoko squinted in the darkness. From what she could tell, it sure looked like her friend. But there was something else. Something was different. Something was wrong.  
  
"Yeah. It's me. I…I've been looking for you for days now!"  
  
"Impossible," Ryoko shouted. She wanted to keep her voice strong, especially considering she had wasted her energy on the blast she never fired. "Kyoko died over a thousand years ago!"  
  
"No! I didn't! That's why I've been trying to find you!" Kyoko's voice became desperate.  
  
Ryoko, still on the ground, tried to get up, but was extremely shaky. Tenchi walked over to her and knelt down behind her, placing his hand on the front of her shoulder.  
  
"Oh, really?" She wasn't going to believe her that easily. "So what really happened, then?"  
  
"Well, it's all kind of unclear to me. I remember I had just finished setting up the bomb, and I was walking away, when the next thing I know, half my upper body was on fire." Her story wasn't very convincing, but the summoner couldn't help but begin to believe it. Still, there was that feeling that something was totally wrong.  
  
She's not alone, Ryoko thought to herself, and she began to look around for signs of someone else.  
  
"You do believe me…don't you?" Kyoko asked, knowing her friend was having a hard time accepting her story.  
  
"Huh?" The cyan-hared pirate jerked her attention away from her surroundings to look at the red head that claimed to be the dead girl. She knew what Kyoko had said. The "Huh?" was an automatic reaction.  
  
"I said…"  
  
"I know what you said," Ryoko cut her off. "Truth be told, I don't know." As she said this, she noticed an extremely large mark running up the left side of Kyoko's neck and face. What the hell is that?  
  
Tenchi, who had been nodding off, jerked his head when Ryoko's tired shoulder muscle began to twitch violently under his fingers. He let the blue sword fade, and brought his other arm under her right shoulder. She looked back at him with a part confused, part tired, part "Don't bother me I'm busy" look. He ignored it and pulled her to a standing position. As soon as he let her go, she began to massage her jerking shoulder.  
  
"Well, I don't know about you two," he began, trying to cover a yawn, "but I'm beat. Why don't we continue this little pow wow tomorrow."  
  
"Tenchi, stop!" Ryoko said, slapping him playfully on the arm. He had caused her to yawn too. Her mouth opened large enough to stuff an entire grapefruit inside, exposing her whitish fangs. Tenchi couldn't help but wonder if she had any relation to a python (who can unhook their jaw).  
  
Kyoko, stifling a yawn herself, backed into the shadows. The sky on the eastern horizon had turned from black to gray, and there was a thin line of pink and orange.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Tenchi said, harsher than he intended. He was a bit sleep deprived. "We've got room. You don't have to stay out here."  
  
Kyoko bowed, saying thanks. She was extremely grateful for his generosity. She didn't feel much like sleeping in another tree or on the ground again.  
  
The trio walked slowly back to the house. Ryoko still had the feeling something was off, but she concluded it had something to do with the sleep she had not yet gotten. She walked by Tenchi's side, lazily attempting to synchronize her steps with his. It failed, so she slowed her pace and walked behind him, wrapping her arms around his upper torso. His skin was warm under her cheek when she laid it on his neck.  
  
His body went rigid for a second, before he realized what she wanted. He rolled his brown eyes and bent his knees. Next thing he felt was her jump and twist her legs around his waist. Her head came to rest on the top of his black strands of hair.  
  
I can't believe I'm doing this for her.  
  
When Kyoko, Ryoko, and Tenchi reached the front entrance of the house, Tenchi let Ryoko down and turned to Kyoko.  
  
"There's a spare room up the stairs, last door on the right. You're welcome to it."  
  
Instead of replying, she bowed. When she came up, she yawned once more, then began walking up the stairs.  
  
The prince then turned to face the other space pirate, who was leaning against the wall. She looked up at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it and shook his head. He pointed up the stairs and began to walk. He could tell she was following him, and he was slightly relieved to reach his room.  
  
He walked to the royal blue and forest green blanket on the floor, and gathered it in his arms. It's furry material felt soft. It reminded him of dreams woven into material. His mother, Achika, had given it to him when he was born.  
  
Tenchi turned around and stumbled back when he came face to face with a pair of almost lifeless golden eyes.  
  
"Ry-Ryoko!" he stuttered. "What are you doing in here?"  
  
"Couldn't sleep," she lied.  
  
"Humph. Very funny, you haven't tried," he spat. She looked hurt. He threw down the blanket and stared at the pirate. Her head hung low, and she had her hands clasped in front of her body. Much to Tenchi's displeasure, she walked past him and got into his bed.  
  
Tenchi looked at his clock. It read 4:32 AM. "Ryoko, don't do this to me. It's four freaking thirty in the morning." When she didn't move, he sighed. "Fine, be that way. I'll go sleep in your…right here." He couldn't stay awake much longer. He threw his hands up in defeat, grabbed his mother's blanket, and lay back on the floor. He'd deal with the persistent woman when he woke up. Which he hoped wouldn't happen until at least three in the afternoon.  
  
~*~  
  
Tenchi groaned. If it was still dark out he swore his was going to knock himself out with a hammer. He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes. Well…it wasn't dark out. The sunlight streamed into his windows, making him squint. He lay his arm exactly where it had been. This posed a bit of a problem.  
  
"Woah!" he yelled as he looked down to see locks of cyan hair. Ryoko lay right beside him, her body pressed up against his. Her hands were up against his chest, and she was sleeping peacefully.  
  
"You're gonna die for this one, Ryoko." He said as he tried to back away from her. It was then that he realized his other arm was underneath her body. At least she wasn't under the blanket. She was lying on top of it.  
  
Ryoko curled up farther into the heat consuming her body. It was strange, but she never remembered the wall being on the right side of the bed.  
  
It's…not. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and her eyes snapped open. What she saw wasn't the wall. It was Tenchi. She slowly turned her eyes up to look at him. His eyes were boring into her. Oh, God. He thinks I did this.  
  
"What the hell…?" she began.  
  
"Ryoko, you could have at least stayed on the futon," he said. His voice was cold, and she knew she was going to get it if she didn't do some fast- talking. So she got up, and tried to reason with him.  
  
"Tenchi, I know what you're thinking. I am a wild sleeper. For all I know, I fell off in the middle of the night. I swear!" Oh crap, he ain't buyin' this! She thought. C'mon, Ryoko, think!  
  
She didn't have much time to do that. He stared her down and said, "You are never sleeping in here again."  
  
The comment stung. She bowed quickly. When she rose, she had one final word. "Tenchi, I am truly sorry. I know you don't believe me. I'll go now." The demon summoner walked towards the door.  
  
"Ryoko, you're serious."  
  
Ryoko smiled to herself. It worked! She really had no idea how she had managed to roll off the mattress, but at least she won him over. "Yeah, I am." Her hand reached for the handle of the door when the door opened, almost smacking the pirate in the face. On the other side stood the very last woman either person in the room wanted to see in this situation.  
  
"Lord Tenchi, it's almost three…o…clock." Aeka's face faltered when she saw Ryoko in nothing but her tight, low-cut, red under suit. Behind her stood Tenchi in his white T-shirt and blue pants. She inhaled deeply, trying to keep her cool, and pushed the shocked demon summoner aside. "Lord Tenchi, what is going on here?"  
  
"Miss Aeka, I know what you're thinking. It's nothing like that. Ryoko just came to wake me up, that's all," he quickly lied.  
  
Aeka eyed the cyan-hared woman's ensemble. "I really don't believe that story, but I refuse to let my good mood be spoiled by HER!" Aeka turned back to Tenchi. Ryoko took the opportunity to quietly slip out of the room. She walked down the hall, through her door, and into her room. She went over to her dresser and looked at the picture of her and Kyoko, and she couldn't help but smiling.  
  
Well, well, well, Kyoko. Maybe I was wrong, she thought. You survived.  
  
As she stood there, her red cat suit disappeared and her blue and green striped dress replaced it. The night hadn't gone uneventful, that's for damn sure. She took one last look at the photo and smiled. Then, she teleported downstairs.  
  
  
  
As soon as Ryoko appeared, she was hit with a force like that of a bullet. Only, this particular bullet had long, light blue hair, fair skin, and pink eyes.  
  
"Oh, Ryoko! You're okay! I was so worried!" Sasami shrieked as she embraced the pirate's midsection.  
  
Ryoko gasped as the little girl's arms tightened around her stomach. She patted Sasami on the back.  
  
"Yeah, Sasami-chan," she choked out. "It's…good to see you, too. Now, uh, sweetheart?"  
  
"I'm so happy you're all right!"  
  
"Uh, hun? Ryoko…can't…breathe!"  
  
"Huh?" The princess turned her eyes up to look at Ryoko's face.  
  
"I…can't…breathe!"  
  
"Oh! Sorry!" She released her grip and backed up. Ryoko relaxed.  
  
"I don't know! I don't know!" came Mihoshi's strangled cry.  
  
"Well, you have to be the one who lost it!" Kiyone screamed. Soon, the bouncy blonde came running into the room, closely followed by an exceptionally pissed teal hared woman.  
  
"Would you mind keeping it down?" Washuu said as she poked her head out of her lab.  
  
"Mihoshi! What have you done with it?! That has some extremely valuable information on it!" Kiyone screamed.  
  
"Kiyone, would you happen to be looking for a large, orangish memory crystal?" the mad scientist asked, an evil smile curling on her lips.  
  
"Yes, how did…you…Washuu!"  
  
Washuu waved a circular, peach crystal tauntingly at Kiyone. It had many wires dangling from around it, each a different color. A green wire and a tan wire at the top were standing straight up and white electricity jumped between them.  
  
"What are you doing with that! I have to send that to HQ!" the angry woman shrieked.  
  
"Oh, you can have it, as soon as I've extracted the information from it, made a complete copy, and run a few experiments on it!"  
  
"Damn it, Washuu!"  
  
"You know, that particular phrase tends to be directed at me quite a bit," Washuu said, eyeing her daughter, who looked around and whistled, pretending not to notice her mother's comment.  
  
Tenchi walked down the stairs and all attention turned towards him.  
  
"Hi, everyone!" he said cheerfully.  
  
"Konnichi-wa, Tenchi!" all the women said, stars in their eyes.  
  
"Oh yeah, Ryoko?" The pirate blushed heavily at being addressed by him. "I never asked you, how's your hand?"  
  
Ryoko had almost forgotten about her injury. She raised her hand in front of face and looked at it. There was a deep purple and black gash, and it was pretty badly bruised. It looked rather nasty, but it didn't hurt at all. She turned her hand so her palm was facing Tenchi, and he grimaced.  
  
"That looks like it hurts," Sasami said.  
  
"Not really," she assured the little princess.  
  
Tenchi finished walking down the stairs, and not a moment too soon. From the top level of the house came a loud, piercing scream. Soon, Aeka came bounding down the stairs, screaming.  
  
"I can explain!" Kyoko ran down the stairs in close pursuit of the purple hared princess. She no longer had on her battle suit. Instead, she was wearing a pair of short denim shorts that were frayed at the bottom, and a black, short sleeved T-shirt with fire around the bottom. From the fire rose a red dragon that wound itself around the shirt. On the sleeves, there was a weird looking sign. It looked like writing, but none that anyone knew. A long black ribbon tied up her red and black hair. Now that it was fully light out, the black mark up the left side of her face could be clearly seen. It looked exactly like flames.  
  
All downstairs went totally silent when they caught sight of the girl they all believed to be dead.  
  
"What the…" Kiyone tried to think about the situation logically, but there was no logical explanation. There was a ghost walking around!  
  
"Wow! A real live ghost!" Mihoshi clapped her hands in delight. She didn't fully understand what was going on. Everyone looked at her, eyebrow raised. "What?"  
  
"That ghost happens to be one of the most wanted criminals in the universe, Mihoshi," Kiyone said.  
  
"Really?" Mihoshi said, a look of confusion on her face. Then, as the situation finally sunk in, she burst out crying.  
  
"No, you've got it all wrong," Kyoko tried to explain. "I'm not a ghost."  
  
"Azaka! Kamidake! Attack!" Aeka called to the guardians.  
  
"Yes ma'am!" was the response.  
  
"Huh?" Kyoko turned around to see the two barrels flying straight towards her. She ducked and they flew right over her head, turned around, and charged again.  
  
"Aeka! Stop it!" Ryoko called to her rival.  
  
"C'mon, Aeka! Call them off!" Tenchi backed up the cyan pirate.  
  
The heat of the situation rose as the barrels charged for a third time. But everything turned upside down…when Kyoko began to laugh uncontrollably. The two guardians stopped in midair and sweatdropped.  
  
"What…are…those?!" Kyoko gasped.  
  
"We are guardians of the planet Jurai," Azaka answered.  
  
"Unbelievable! You are the famous guardians?!"  
  
"Yes. I am Kamidake, and he is Azaka," The red one explained.  
  
This just sent Kyoko into another fit of laughter.  
  
"What is her problem?" Aeka asked Ryoko.  
  
"No clue. Hey, Kyoko?! What the hell is wrong with you?"  
  
"Ryoko!" Sasami hissed.  
  
Everyone waited for a minute before the hysterical pirate could answer. Finally, she settled down just enough to say, "Man, Jurai must be desperate for protection, if they're consulting possessed and flying barrels!!"  
  
All but Aeka, Azaka, and Kamidake laughed.  
  
"Besides," Kyoko continued, "I thought Jurai had humans for protection. Knights, I mean."  
  
"You mean," Aeka pulled out a picture of Azaka and Kamidake (the knights), "them?"  
  
Kyoko's dark eyes went from Azaka on the right, to Kamidake on the left. When she saw the young man, her jaw hit the ground and her eyes bugged out.  
  
"They Azaka and Kamidake," Aeka said.  
  
Kyoko pulled her jaw up. "But I thought they were Azaka and Kamidake," she said, pointing to the two she had just finished laughing at.  
  
"They are, but the two in the picture are the originals."  
  
"Originals? You mean to tell me that instead of sticking with the hot guy, you went to chopped up trees that talk? My Lord, its desperation."  
  
Again, everyone but those three laughed.  
  
"So, uh, Kyoko?" Kiyone began. She still didn't know what was going on, but she at least knew Kyoko didn't pose as an immediate threat, seeing that she had a sense of humor.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What is going on? You're supposed to be dead."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I'll explain it in a little bit. But first, can I get some grub? I'm starving!"  
  
As Sasami lead Kyoko into the kitchen, Ryoko, Tenchi, and Mihoshi followed. Washuu stepped out of her lab, and turned to Aeka and Kiyone, the only two left in the room.  
  
"Well, we can now be sure she's not dead."  
  
"What makes you say that, Washuu?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"Ghosts don't eat." With that, Washuu walked into the kitchen with the rest.  
  
  
  
When Kyoko, Ryoko, and Tenchi had been fed, everyone at the table turned to the new comer.  
  
"You ready to tell us?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"Ah, what the hell. Yeah sure." Kyoko took a deep breath. "It all began on May 21, many years ago. I'm really not sure how many any more. Just under a thousand, I know that much. Ryoko and I decided to rob the First Universal Bank of Jurai, and then bomb them when we were finished. We hadn't exactly had the greatest record with them. The robbery went smoothly, as usual. Ryoko took our loot back to my ship, the Sureiyaa. It was my job to set up the bomb. I suppose that's where this story begins…"  
  
  
  
"Kyoko, can you hear me?" A voice came over a black radio.  
  
"Yeah, Ryoko, I hear ya," was the reply. The girl who answered appeared to be thirteen years old. Her real age, however, was about 1,087. She was wearing black, hipster pants that flared out at the bottom, and a tight, black, long sleeved shirt that stopped above the hem of the pants. About three inches of her flat, pale skinned stomach showed. She wore a black utility belt around her waist, and black boots. It was the perfect getup for sneaking around a bank after hours. Since there was no light, she blended right in. In her left hand, she held a flashlight that gave off a bright whitish blue light. In her left, a radio, through which she kept in contact with her partner.  
  
"Good. Walk down to the end of the hall. It's a dead end, but it's right in the center of the building." Ryoko's voice came through the static, but Kyoko had no trouble understanding her orders.  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
"You remember the plan, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I remember. This is where I go alone. Don't forget, don't detonate…"  
  
"…until you come back," Ryoko finished her friend's sentence for her. "I know. I'll see you when you're done."  
  
"Right. I'm out." Kyoko finished her transmission and put the radio back in her utility belt. "I really don't trust that girl," she whispered. Though the two girls had grown up together and were practically sisters, Ryoko had a tendency to play some pretty evil jokes on her. Deep down, she did trust her, but there was always that feeling…  
  
Kyoko reached her designated point and quietly set down her flashlight. She reached into her belt and pulled out the many pieces of the bomb she was supposed to set up. She wasn't much of a bomb expert, so she had to do a lot of reading to figure out how to assemble one of these things.  
  
"All right. Let's get down to business."  
  
For five minutes, she worked in silence, connecting this, setting that. It was a complicated process. Finally, after connecting the final wire to the main section, she stood up and cracked her back. She picked up her flashlight and turned to leave, but turned back around when she heard a beep.  
  
The timer had started. Kyoko had thirty seconds to get out of there.  
  
"Oh, Jesus," Kyoko said, and she began to run.  
  
She was running so fast, and she had no idea where she was going. So when the hallway split, she had to quickly decide which way to go. She took the right path. Dead-end. She spun around and headed back to where the hall split. That's when the bomb detonated.  
  
"Oh shiiiiiiit!" the pirate screamed as she ran down the left passage. Flames and debris raced down the hall after her. This would be the worst time to trip. So, of course, being the clumsy girl she was, she did. The worst part was it was over herself. She hit the ground and her flashlight flew out of her hand. The glass and the bulb shattered, and the only light in the hallway came from the fire that was quickly spreading along the walls, floor, and ceiling. She scrambled up and continued to run, but it was no use. The fire caught up with her, and before she knew it, the left half of her upper torso, neck, and face were burning.  
  
Instead of continuing to run, Kyoko's feet left the ground, and she began to fly. She was running to fast and concentrating on escaping the flames earlier, she hadn't thought about flying. Of course the idea had to come when she was on fire. The air that rushed along in the other direction quickly put out the flames on her body, but the cloth had been burned off, and she had a large burn from the middle of her chest to her hairline by her ear. That was going to be there a while. Soon, she had out flown the fire and reached a window in the main hallway. She could see the Sureiyaa zooming out of sight.  
  
"Ryoko! Where the hell are you going?!"  
  
She had to find the docking bay and fast. She at least knew where she was now. Kyoko took a right and flew down the hallway, straight to the end.  
  
There was only one ship in the bay, but at least it was a ship. It was flat, had six points, and looked like one of those stars you'd put on top of a Christmas tree, except it was neon pink. The name written on the side of the ship read Hoshiakari.  
  
Lucky for Kyoko, the door was open, and she was able to get the ship started. She just barely managed to get far enough away from the bank before it totally blew up…  
  
  
  
"Oh…" Kiyone said as Kyoko finished her story. "Well, that explains the black mark."  
  
"Yeah, that's what happened," Kyoko replied, running her fingers along the scar on her face.  
  
"Wow, I'm sure that hurt," Tenchi said.  
  
"No, Tenchi, it felt great," Kyoko said sarcastically.  
  
Tenchi snorted. "I suppose that was a stupid statement."  
  
"Kyoko!" Ryoko suddenly shouted, startling everyone at the table. "I have something for you!"  
  
Everyone watched confused as Ryoko disappeared, then soon reappeared, holding something in her uninjured hand. Kyoko stood up and walked over to her.  
  
"I've been keeping it since that day. I almost forgot about it," the demon summoner said as she handed over what looked like a black crystal connected to a silver chain.  
  
"The Sureiyaa," the red headed space pirate said in a hushed voice. She wrapped the chain around her neck and clasped the two ends together. Then, the two pirates embraced like sisters.  
  
"You know, now that I've found you, I ain't leaving again," Kyoko told her partner when they broke the hug.  
  
"Meaning..." Ryoko said with an evil grin.  
  
"You people are stuck with me."  
  
"Wonderful," Tenchi said, unenthusiastically. "Just what I need." Everyone laughed.  
  
  
  
Notes from Minagi:  
  
Well, this chapter didn't go at all how I wanted, but it did go at least. I hope you liked it. I'm hoping to be done with the fifth chapter by the end of Spring Break. Thanks a lot to all who reviewed! Keep em coming! ^.^ Buh- BYE!!!!!  
  
P.S. Kyoko is listed in two different places as two different ages. Her GP file says she 1112, the flashback says she's 1087. There is a reason for that which will be explained in a future chapter (a.k.a. chapter five). I figured I should mention that before someone got confused. 


	6. Rivals Reborn

Kyoko's eye's flashed. Her black and silver dress flew upwards as she continued to drop directly towards the ground. Her silver bow and arrow was armed and pointing directly in front of her. It glimmered in the moonlight coming from behind her. Her hair was up it the usual ponytail, and was dancing around her head. Her legs were bent, and if she didn't stop soon, she was going to slam into the ground.  
  
Beside her, her partner Ryoko was flying directly at the ground as well. She was wearing her black battle suit. Her left shoulder and arm was red. It was one of her only battle suits without the puffy shoulders. Her sword formed and was in striking position. The wind blowing the opposite way was causing her hair to fly this way and that.  
  
"Ready? Okay!" Nobuyuki called out to them. He clicked the shutter button of his camera and the two pirates blinked spots out of their eyes as they landed smoothly on the ground.  
  
"All right, Ryoko, I want a copy of that picture. I ain't lettin' you have the only copy again!"  
  
Kyoko told the one next to her. They had just gotten another picture of just the two of them taken. It was Ryoko's idea to get a more recent version of the picture on her dresser done.  
  
"Fine, fine," Ryoko said.  
  
Two weeks had passed since Kyoko had joined the family, and when Nobuyuki had gotten home from Kyoto, he had wasted no time in greeting her with his usual perverted and flirty personality. Needless to say, after their first meeting, Kyoko pretty much tried to avoid Tenchi's father.  
  
Ryoko's dreams had still been bothering her in the past weeks. She had had a total of five in two weeks, ten in four, and they were exactly the same. The disembodied voice, her pain, lots and lots of blood; you know, the works. Each time she woke up screaming, and each time she felt like a fool because of it. Tenchi, Kyoko, and Sasami said she shouldn't, but it didn't help. Last time they told her that, she told them they should try it. They avoided talking to her the next day, in fear of their throats.  
  
Amazingly, the Masaki household pretty much returned to normal…well, as normal as it ever could be. Kyoko, much to everyone's surprise (and Aeka and Ryoko's joy) did not go after Tenchi's heart. Instead, the two became nothing more than friends. And now, two weeks later, Kyoko found she fit in pretty well.  
  
Ryoko and Kyoko turned back to the house, leaving behind their perverted photographer. They walked in silence until Ryoko voiced something Washuu had pointed out to her after breakfast the day before.  
  
"You were 1,087 when you supposedly died, weren't you?" she asked, cyan eyebrow raised.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"Well, it's just that…uh," Ryoko hesitated. "It's just that, Kiyone said your GP file read 1112."  
  
"Oh," Kyoko said, only mildly interested.  
  
"I've never known the Galaxy Police to slip up like that," Ryoko was reaching the climax of her conversation.  
  
"Typo," came the response.  
  
"Well, you know how Washuu is researching the 'hackability' of important files. She said a few weeks ago, someone hacked into the Galaxy Police's files and changed a few things." She was almost there.  
  
"Hmm, really?" Kyoko had an idea of where this was going. All right, accuse me, Ryoko. I dare ya! She mentally challenged. And, sure enough…  
  
"Why did you change your age, of all things?" There it was. The accusation; the climax.  
  
"Who said I did it?" the red headed pirate demanded.  
  
"Washuu. She said your file was the only one changed." The demon summoner was getting nervous. Maybe Kyoko hadn't done anything. Not to mention, Ryoko was getting a death glare like no other. Suddenly, her partner's face broke into a mischievous grin.  
  
"Well, all right, I did change my age and I reworded my cause of death," Kyoko admitted, thinking, And deleted half my file. "What are you going to do, tell on me?"  
  
"Ha! I knew it! A hundred and fifty yen to me!" Ryoko screamed in triumph. Then realizing she had just screamed out that she and Washuu had had a bet on her best friend, she went to another question. "So, why did you hack into your file? You know you would have been better off prancing around in front of old what-his-name, Trakal or whatever."  
  
"You mean that special operative?"  
  
"That's the one."  
  
"Yeah, I know, but I don't care."  
  
"So, why'd ya do it?" Ryoko repeated.  
  
"Shits and grins," Kyoko replied, not really knowing the answer herself.  
  
"All right, new tactic, since you're being so stubborn," Ryoko joked. Kyoko laughed a little. "How'd you do it?"  
  
The dark eyed woman stopped in her tracks. That's a good question, Ryoko.  
  
Ryoko knew the one beside her had stopped walking, but she continued. "I mean, you never knew how to hack before."  
  
"I…I know. I don't know how I did it," Kyoko said, looking up at the back of the summoner's head. This stopped Ryoko.  
  
"What do you mean, you don't know?"  
  
"I don't know how to hack, so I don't know how I did it."  
  
"Whatever," Ryoko said, not knowing what to make of her friend's response.  
  
~*~  
  
That night, when everyone was asleep, Kyoko lie in her bed, tossing and turning. Deep in her mind, she was losing control.  
  
Everything was dark, and Kyoko, in her battle suit, stood in the middle of it all. Her mind was screaming at her, only, it wasn't her mind. It couldn't have been! It told her she must destroy the enemy.  
  
"But, who is the enemy?" she asked herself. A cold feeling ran through her body, as if her blood had been frozen inside her arteries and veins.  
  
You know who it is, her mind told her.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
I am you.  
  
"Get out of my head! You are not me!" she screamed, clutching her head in her hands.  
  
Have you forgotten who you are? You are the Space Pirate Kyoko! You live to destroy!  
  
"No, you can't make me!" Her voice shook with fear. Fear of herself. "You're right! I am the Space Pirate Kyoko! But you are not! Get out!" Tears began to well up in her eyes and spray out. Her breathing became unsteady, and she began to hyperventilate. She was losing control. Her mind was stopping her breathing.  
  
Kyoko was jerked awake by the now familiar scream of Ryoko.  
  
"Jesus, what is going on?" she asked herself, sitting up in bed. Her black silk pajamas were damp with sweat.  
  
Ryoko's scream stopped, and Kyoko rose out of her bed. She leaned back, and her back popped in numerous places. Rubbing her eyes, she walked to the door and opened it. Stepping out onto the dimly lit floor, Kyoko began to follow Sasami, Kiyone, and Tenchi to Ryoko's room. They met up with Washuu, who was coming up the stairs.  
  
When the group entered the pirate's room, they found her sitting up and staring out of the window. Her hair was messier than usual, as though she had been clawing at it. Apparently, she'd gotten pissed with herself for screaming again.  
  
"Before you ask," she began without looking at anyone, "I'm fine, it was the exact same dream, and I still haven't figured out who the voice belongs to." She'd gotten the whole routine down.  
  
"Ryoko, are…I…hmm," Kyoko was at a loss for words.  
  
Sasami walked over to Ryoko's bedside and knelt down on the matters. The demon summoner turned her attention to the little princess and smiled.  
  
"Do you want some hot cocoa?" Sasami asked. "I can make some."  
  
"Sure, that sounds good," Ryoko replied, and she allowed herself to be lead out of bed by the blue hared princess.  
  
"Are you going to join us?" Sasami asked, looking hopefully at the rest.  
  
"I'll pass, Sasami-chan," Kyoko said. "I have a few things to think about."  
  
"No thanks, Sasami. I'd probably fall asleep in it," said Tenchi.  
  
"A firmative!" Washuu excitedly agreed.  
  
"I'll join you three," Kiyone nodded.  
  
"Party poopers!" Sasami whispered to the two who decided not to join in. Kyoko responded with a look of fake innocence. Tenchi didn't respond.  
  
Everyone departed from the room. Kyoko walked slowly down the hall to her room. When she entered, she looked around. The walls were painted light blue, and sponged with dark blue. There were silver moons, stars, suns, and planets stamped over the contrasting blues. She had dark blue curtains over her windows and two sets of star lights in each corner. On her ceiling, though the light had already drained out of them, there were glow in the dark stars, planets, and other celestial bodies. The comforter on her futon was dark blue with silver suns, moons, and stars printed on it. The sheets were light blue with dark blue shapes. She had really done a successful job of creating the celestial mood of her room, and she was very proud of it. Of course, it was Washuu's science that helped bring it to life, but it was Kyoko's idea.  
  
Kyoko walked over to her bed and lay back down, bringing the covers up to her stomach. She folded her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling.  
  
I wonder if it's coincidence…she thought. Her dream flashed in her mind. The darkness, the feeling of loneliness, the voice in her head, telling her to destroy the enemy. But just who was the enemy? Kyoko was clueless.  
  
1 It's gotta be coincidence. My dream has nothing to do with Ryoko's…  
  
~*~  
  
Sunlight drifted through the curtains in Mihoshi and Kiyone's room. Quiet footsteps could be heard as the teal hared GP Officer made her way over to the dresser. She was thankful to have a room, let alone a nice room like this. There were pastel yellow curtains, lamps, and blankets. No carpet, though. Just a nicely finished wooden floor. It was very fortunate that the two women had a place to stay, especially after being evicted from their apartment (they fell too far behind on payments).  
  
Kiyone reached the dresser and quietly pulled out the top drawer. When she slid it out, she looked back at Mihoshi, to see if she had awakened. The blonde was still snoring, drool trickling down the left side of her mouth. Silently, Kiyone turned back to the drawer, and pulled out a pair of jeans shorts and a white T-shirt with red sleeves. She wished she could phase, like Ryoko, but, seeing she was nothing like the space pirate, she couldn't. So, she settled for the harder way: manual.  
  
She slipped off her sky blue silky shorts and attempted to put on her jeans. However, her foot caught in the material, and the officer fell backwards onto her futon. Beside her, her partner snorted, grumbled, and slept on. Looking at her, Kiyone shook her head.  
  
You could sleep through anything, Mihoshi, she thought. Which is why I drive.  
  
Carefully, Kiyone finished getting dressed on her futon, then she quietly walked out of the room and down the stairs.  
  
When she reached the landing, the mouth watering smell of Sasami's cooking reached her nostrils. She wanted to waltz right in the kitchen and taste test breakfast, but she knew she'd wind up eating it all. So, instead, she walked outside to get a breath of fresh morning air.  
  
The sky was a bright, forget-me-not blue with little tiny puffs of clouds. The sun cast a bright, yellowish white light on the ground. In the distance, the lake glimmered. The breeze sang softly in Kiyone's ears. It spoke words to quiet to understand, but loud enough, you knew they were there. The wind never sang like that.  
  
The blue eyed young woman walked down to the shore of the lake. When she reached the pearly white sand, she realized the wind's song was actually being sung by…Funaho? Nah…couldn't be. Carefully, Kiyone jumped from rock to rock until she reached the roots of the former ship. Up in its branches, Kyoko sat, singing the song.  
  
2 "Nani ge nai kono omoi  
  
Nee, hito wa donna kotoba de  
  
Yondeiru no  
  
3 Shiroi suna no tsuki"  
  
The words flowed from her mouth and to the wind. Her voice was like that of an angel's, beautiful and soft.  
  
4 "Toji kometa hanashi o  
  
Hikari furasu you ni  
  
Kikasete ne sotto."  
  
Kyoko looked down to see Kiyone, mesmerized by her voice, and she immediately stopped. She brushed her long, red bangs out of her eyes and blushed.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was out here," she apologized.  
  
"Don't apologize!" Kiyone told her. "You have a beautiful voice!"  
  
"Thank you," the red head mumbled, going a deeper shade of crimson.  
  
"Please, continue!"  
  
The space pirate smiled at the begging officer. "I…I don't remember the rest."  
  
"Oh." Kiyone was disappointed. "Where'd you learn to sing like that?"  
  
"I dunno. I've been singing for as long as I can remember." Kyoko jumped from the tree and landed gingerly on the roots. Her red hair was back in a long, low braid. She was wearing her usual black. Her shorts, boots, and shirt were black, and on her shirt was a silver crescent moon and star. Red, black, and silver seemed to be the pirate's favorite colors.  
  
"Do you think we should head back to the house for breakfast?" she asked the Galaxy Police officer.  
  
"Yeah, probably." Kiyone turned and began to walk back towards the shore. Kyoko followed her, floating over the water.  
  
~*~  
  
Nighttime had fallen upon the city of Okayama. Clouds and haze covered the moon. A lone wolf jumped swiftly from tree to tree until it reached its destination. Carefully, it jumped to the ground, landing in a crouching position. The wind ruffled its black cloak as it stood and lowered its hood to get a better look at the house that lay before it…  
  
  
  
Ryoko sat on the windowsill in her room, her golden eyes watching outside. The dull black sky didn't prevent her from looking at her surroundings. Many things ran through her head.  
  
My dreams. What do they mean? She thought. They were all the same. She had only recently begun to wonder if they had any real significance to reality. She would spend hours on end thinking about them, wondering if they meant something was going on.  
  
The demon summoner was so engrossed in her thoughts; she jumped when she saw a shadow move out on the lawn. But it was only a shadow. Or so she thought. But when it kept moving closer and closer to the house, she realized it was a living person. A living person with a black cloak and messed up hair.  
  
NO! Ryoko screamed mentally. Damnit!  
  
Quietly, she slipped off the windowsill and teleported outside. She hid in the shadows, waiting for the visitor to arrive…  
  
  
  
A little Kyoko ran through the woods. Ahead of her ran an even younger Ryoko, and ahead of her ran a few of the girls' old classmates. Their faces couldn't be made out, but they were there. They were there playing hide and seek tag, just like back before the cyan hared little girl and the red hared little girl became pirates.  
  
"Come on, Kyoko! Can'tcha catch us?" a little boy called over his shoulder.  
  
"I'm coming, Haruki, and it's gonna be you I'm gonna get!" Kyoko threatened. She knew there was no way she was going to catch him on foot, but in the air was a different story. The little girl rose and began to fly as her surroundings changed. It became a little child's dream world. A world where the clouds were cotton candy and the trees were gumdrops and licorice.  
  
She flew over the cyan-hared child, who'd stop to drink happily from a chocolate river. Quickly, she gained on a little boy who had dark mahogany skin and long, black hair. Her hand reached out and found the boy's back, and she pushed. He fell face first into the river and came up, spitting chocolate out of his mouth like a fountain.  
  
"No fair flying!" Haruki complained.  
  
"No one said it was against the rules," Kyoko said, a look of pure innocence overtaking her. The rest of the kids came out of hiding and began to laugh.  
  
"Bombs away!" the red head screamed as she landed on the ground, took a few steps back and ran at the river. Her feet pushed hard against the surgary grass and she jumped into the chocolate water, causing it to splash up and ripple. Following her example, the rest of the boys and girls, including Ryoko, jumped in as well. Kyoko began to splash one of the faceless girls when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw two outlines standing in fighting stances.  
  
One of the outlines had spiked and out of control hair and a very slim body.  
  
"Ryoko?" she whispered. Everything around her froze where it was as Kyoko looked at the other outline. It was tall, slim, and unrecognizable to the little girl. Their voices drifted into the dream world. They were shouting at each other. The candy world disappeared as the now modern Kyoko stood, staring at the illuminated shapes…  
  
  
  
Kyoko grumbled and cursed as hating voices drifted through her open window. She pulled the blanket up to cover her head, but it was no use. The battling people still disturbed her. Cursing again, she got up and walked over to the window. She looked out, but saw no one.  
  
Slowly, she got up on the sill and jumped down. The cold wind rushing the opposite way woke her up a little, but not enough. She stumbled slightly as her feet hit the ground. Slowly (and still grumbling angrily), she walked to the front of the Masaki house to see two shadows. She knew one of them was Ryoko, so that's who she focused her attention on.  
  
"Hey Ryoko-san, would you mind keeping it DOWN?!" Kyoko screamed.  
  
"Uh…um…" Ryoko was obviously shaken by the fact someone had heard her. "Sorry, Kyoko-san! Go back to sleep, now."  
  
"Yeah, whatever," Kyoko yawned. She turned around and began to walk back to the house when the other person's voice stopped her.  
  
"Hold it!" they called in a deep voice. Well, it was definitely a girl's voice, and Kyoko knew she had heard it before, but it wasn't until she felt the bright purple whip wrap itself around her wrist did she realize who it was. Suddenly, Kyoko didn't feel so tired anymore. She froze in place as the cold voice rang out across the grass again.  
  
"What are you doing alive?" she asked. Kyoko whipped around, breaking the grip of the whip on her wrist.  
  
"I guess I should ask you the same question…Nagi," Kyoko said, anger rising. She walked over to stand by her partner, and they shared a momentary glance before they turned their eyes back to the bounty hunter. She had silvery purple hair that was thrown back, and bright red eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate any person's mind. Her black cloak covered her extremely odd ensemble underneath.  
  
The three stared each other down. Then, Kyoko, fed up with the staring contest, brought forth her bow and arrows. Nagi, seeing her movement, quickly pulled her gold and red sword from her belt. Ryoko, not wanting to be the only one without a weapon, formed her red sword. Then, she attacked Nagi.  
  
The bounty hunter saw the attack coming, and silently deflected Ryoko's attack. The two swords clashed, and Kyoko fired the first arrow. It narrowly missed the struggling pair.  
  
"Kyoko, forget the arrows and get out of here!" Ryoko screamed.  
  
"Hell no, I ain't leavin' you alone!" Kyoko called as Nagi tried to come after her. The red headed pirate dodged the attack.  
  
That was all that was said for a while. The three continued to fight, two on one, until Kyoko screamed when Nagi's sword made contact with her left shoulder. Nagi could hear and feel the flesh and muscle tearing. Blood spilled out over the black nightshirt that covered Kyoko's upper body. Kyoko fell to her knees, clutching her wound. Nagi took advantage of her fall and backhanded the pirate. She fell backwards, sprawled out on the ground.  
  
Nagi turned around to go after Ryoko, who was on the ground, wiping blood from her lip. Behind her, Tenchi, Kiyone, Washuu, and Aeka stood, staring confusedly at her. She smirked and shook her head.  
  
"Ryoko, your backup is here," she sneered.  
  
Ryoko turned around to see everyone staring at her, perplexed. When she turned back, Nagi had disappeared. She looked everywhere, but there was no sign of the bounty hunter.  
  
"Well, Ryoko, Kyoko," Nagi's voice echoed across the sky as the ship Ken- ohki came into view. "We'll continue this battle when you're more worthy of a fight." Peels of her laughter shattered the sky, and the silvery white ship shot out of the planet's atmosphere.  
  
Ryoko got off the ground, letting her sword fade. She walked over to her partner and pulled her up. They both stared up at the sky and Kyoko's hand shot up to the crystal dangling from her neck, but Ryoko stopped her by grabbing her arm.  
  
"No, it's not worth it," she said. Kyoko started to object, but, stopped. "We should have Washuu check out your shoulder."  
  
The red head lifted her hand to her injury as the two began to walk back. Tenchi and Washuu ran over to the two.  
  
"Was that…" Tenchi began. Washuu immediately took to caring for Kyoko.  
  
"Yeah, that was Nagi." Ryoko glanced back to the sky.  
  
"Are you all right?" The young successor reached for Ryoko's face, using his thumb to wipe the blood that dripped from her lip. The summoner raised her hand to his and held it, pressing her cheek into his palm, and closing her eyes. Tenchi blushed deeply.  
  
"I'm fine," she assured him, speaking in a soft tone.  
  
The quartet walked back into the house, joining Aeka (who looked furious at the thought of Ryoko touching her precious Tenchi) and Kiyone at the door. Washuu had somehow managed to convince Kyoko to follow her to the lab, and everyone else departed to his or her rooms.  
  
"Well, Kyoko," Ryoko said, before she ascended the steps, "looks as though we have to work on our fight, seeing as we're not worthy of battle."  
  
Kyoko could hear the sarcasm in her friend's voice. She smiled devilishly and replied, "Oh, that'll be fun…"  
  
  
  
~Notes from Minagi~  
  
Hey all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It may not be the best one, but at least it works. There are a few things I want to say. First off, the song Kyoko was singing was "Hiiru no Tsuki". It's the first Outlaw Star ending song, and therefore, I DON'T OWN IT! Second, pat yourself on the back if you understood the part where I referred to Nagi as "a lone wolf". In the TV episode "No Need for Arch Rivals", Kiyone refers to Nagi as the same thing. Well, thanx for reviewing! Keep em coming, I love to hear feedback! 


	7. Connections

Two days had passed since Nagi's attack on the two space pirates. Washuu had successfully healed Kyoko's shoulder, and Ryoko's lip had closed back up within an hour. Now, thirty-six hours later, Kyoko could be found outside lying on the grass on a clear, cloudless day. The blades gently brushed her exposed arms and shoulders as the breeze played its game. Her hair lay thrown about her head, and her legs were bent comfortably.  
  
She was deep in thought, when a voice drifted across the ground to her ears.  
  
"Kyoko!" Tenchi called out. Unwillingly, the red headed young woman opened her eyes and sat up to look at him. Soon he came striding up in front of her.  
  
"Yo?" she asked in her usual chipper voice. She watched as he sat down in the grass next to her and stared out to the trees.  
  
"I have a problem," he admitted.  
  
"We know," came Kyoko's sarcastic response.  
  
Tenchi smacked her in the back of the head, laughing.  
  
"Okay, let me rephrase that. I need your help."  
  
"Why do you need my help? I need more help than you, I'll just make it worse!" Kyoko continued her child-like act.  
  
"Can we be serious for a moment?" Tenchi looked at her, his face clearly saying, "If you could ever be serious."  
  
"Yeah, sorry," she apologized.  
  
"I have a problem," the prince paused to see if Kyoko would respond, but when nothing came, he continued. "I can't…"  
  
"Oh!" Kyoko cried out, cutting a very disappointed Tenchi off. "Oh! Let me guess! I'm good at this!" She drew in a deep breath and began. "It has to do with a certain girl. A woman, actually."  
  
"Yeah…" the successor said uncertainly.  
  
"And can't get her out of your mind?"  
  
Tenchi nodded.  
  
"And…let me see…" Kyoko raised her hands to her head and began to massage her temples like a psychic. "Everything you do reminds you of her?"  
  
Tenchi's response became more eager as Kyoko's predictions began to reflect his problem perfectly.  
  
"This all began with a certain unusual event…a kiss, maybe?"  
  
"Yes!" he yelled, causing his consultant to cringe.  
  
"And, you're experiencing feelings you've never felt before, and you want to know what they mean?" she finished.  
  
"You are good! How'd you do it?"  
  
It's only the most obvious thing in the world, moron, Kyoko thought. But that's not what she said. Instead, she answered, "I'm psychic."  
  
"Sure," he responded. "So what does it all mean?"  
  
"It means…" she paused as he waited with baited breath. "It means you're falling in love."  
  
Whatever Tenchi expected, it sure wasn't that. He looked at her, confused.  
  
"Weren't expecting that, were you?" the pirate asked tauntingly.  
  
"Not at all."  
  
The two fell silent, Kyoko looking back up at the sky, Tenchi trying to figure out if she was right. Falling in love? There was absolutely no way he could be falling in love. He had tried his hardest to keep all his love evenly divided for each girl. Apparently, that hadn't worked. He leaned back on his hands and felt a book under his palm. It was then that he remembered that consulting Kyoko wasn't the only thing had he intended to do.  
  
"Hey Kyoko?"  
  
"Yeah?" was the lazy reply.  
  
"Here. I was searching through our collection of books and I found this one. I thought you might find it of some interest." Tenchi handed her a black, hardback book with a bright red explanation of the book written in Kanji. She turned it over to look at the front cover.  
  
"Unsolved Cases of the Supernatural? Coooooool," she said in awe.  
  
"That book has some pretty graphic pictures and sick descriptions. It gave me nightmares, but then again, things like this don't interest me much."  
  
"A guy is murdered by the spirits in his house?" she read off the first page. "ESP turns fatal for one woman? One guy commits suicide to rid himself of the demons possessing him? Awesome."  
  
"I figured you'd like that," Tenchi said, nose wrinkled.  
  
"Hey Tenchi! Hey Kyoko!" Ryoko's voice sounded across the yard. The pair turned around to see the demon summoner jogging towards them. Kyoko stood up, book in hand, and waited. When Ryoko finally reached them, she met them with a suspicious eye.  
  
"Don't get any ideas, Tenchi just gave me this book," The red head waved the book in front of her friend's face. Ryoko stopped the book and read the title.  
  
"Oh, I remember that one," she said. "That's the one that gave Tenchi nightmares for a week."  
  
"Well, I'll leave you two alone," Kyoko said, looking from the other pirate to the prince. "I have a question to ask Washuu, and then I want to get a jump start on this book."  
  
The two watched her retreating back as she left. Then, when she was out of sight, Tenchi got up and turned to Ryoko.  
  
"Wanna take a walk by the lake?"  
  
Smiling, she replied, "Sure."  
  
The two quietly walked down the lawn to the edge of the lake. Kyoko's words kept repeating in Tenchi's head. "You're falling in love." Before he knew what he was doing, Tenchi had taken hold of Ryoko's hand and laced his fingers with hers. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and saw she was blushing. He also couldn't help but notice how astonishingly beautiful she looked. She had on a red strapless shirt underneath a brown short sleeved jacket. Around the edges ran a lining of gold. Her skirt was just like her jacket, and it split up the side. Around her left hip it looked as though her skin was wrapped in bluish cloth.  
  
No, Tenchi, Stop! You can't be falling in love! Yet another part of his mind scolded him for delaying the inevitable.  
  
Tenchi was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts when the very person he was battling himself over stepped in front of him.  
  
"Tenchi," she said in a worried tone. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
"No, why?" he asked. He stared deeply into her golden eyes as she continued.  
  
"Nothing…I guess. It's just, it used to be when I would touch you in any way, you would either scold me of push me off. Usually, it was both. Now, you're taking my hand out of your own free will."  
  
Again, Kyoko's words raced across Tenchi's mind. "Weren't expecting that, were you?" He gently brushed a stray piece of her hair out of her face and answered, "Nothing is wrong, Ryoko."  
  
Up above the two, high in the air, Kyoko looked down upon the scene.  
  
"They make such a cute couple," she said to no one in particular. Then, silently as she had come, the space pirate flew back to the house.  
  
~*~  
  
That evening, a distressed purple hared princess was practically dismantling the house in search of Ryoko and Tenchi.  
  
"Where is Ryoko?" she kept yelling.  
  
Silently as she could, Kyoko crept down the stairs. She didn't want to be seen by Aeka, or she, like everyone else in the house, would find herself up against a wall until Aeka was satisfied that she knew nothing. When she reached the last step, she thought she was safe, until the stair creaked.  
  
Aeka whipped around and saw the space pirate on the steps. Walking calmly over, she grabbed Kyoko by the collar and pushed her against the wall. Before Aeka had a chance to question, the red head raised her hand.  
  
"I don't know anything about Ryoko and Tenchi, so please don't ask me."  
  
Aeka looked at her with an evil eye, but the girl's face was impassive. So, she released her hold, and Kyoko walked to the front door of Washuu's lab. She knocked three times, and opened the door.  
  
"Washuu-chan? You in here?" Slowly, the pirate tiptoed into the alter- dimension lab. Inside it was a destructive child dream world. There was large thinga-ma-bobs in the corners that looked very valuable and breakable. Many wires fell from the invisible ceiling. Many glass tubes filled with strange objets floating in equally strange liquids lined the walls. The floor below her bare feet looked like the vast outer space.  
  
The magenta hared little genius came zooming in on a pink pillow with gold tassels.  
  
"What?" Washuu asked.  
  
"I've got a quick question for you," Kyoko said. Washuu snapped her fingers, and her transparent computer popped out of no where. With a few well-selected buttons, Kyoko had a royal blue pillow with a silver dragon and silver tassels to sit on.  
  
"Follow me," the little girl said shortly.  
  
"Uh…Washuu…I don't…" But before Kyoko had the chance to finish, her pillow began to fly behind Washuu, and the red head was almost thrown off. As soon as she regained her balance, the cushion suddenly stopped, jerking the recovering girl forward.  
  
"First, Kyoko, I something to ask you," Washuu said as Kyoko adjusted her position. "Where is my daughter? Her end of the link with Ryo-ohki and me is completely closed off."  
  
Kyoko brushed her two-tone bangs away, and swayed, slightly nauseated. "I don't know," she lied.  
  
"Bull. Where are they?" Washuu asked.  
  
"I'm serious, I don't know. I haven't seen them since earlier this afternoon!" Kyoko insisted. The scientist raised her eyebrow. "All right, if it makes you feel any better, I doubt they'd do anything too extreme. Tenchi only just realized that he…yeeeah…" She didn't want to say too much. She'd leave that to Tenchi and Ryoko.  
  
Washuu smiled understandingly. "Right. It's about time," she said. "So, what did you want me for?"  
  
"Oh! Right. You've been keeping track of the dates of Ryoko's dreams, correct?"  
  
"Yes." The green-eyed woman in the little girl's body continued to type, her fingers touching what seemed to be random buttons.  
  
"Well, I was wondering if you could tell me when the first one was?"  
  
"What for?"  
  
"I was just curious," Kyoko quickly responded. There were deeper reasons, but those were to remain inside her head.  
  
"Okay, fine." The direction Washuu was typing in suddenly shifted into the completely opposite direction. Soon, another transparent screen had popped up out of thin air. Washuu looked at it, typed some more, and finally turned her full attention to it.  
  
"The first one was about two months ago, late May."  
  
"Exact date?" Kyoko looked at the screen, but didn't understand a single thing it said, so she left deciphering it to the genius.  
  
Hmmmm…Looks like…May 21," Washuu answered matter-of-factly.  
  
Interesting. May 21? The red head thought.  
  
"Thanks Washuu-chan!" She said.  
  
"Sure," the little girl said. Then, as Kyoko turned to leave, Washuu looked down at her hand. As each second passed, she'd put down a finger. When the last finger had been put down, Kyoko turned came running up to Washuu.  
  
"How do you get out of here?" she asked.  
  
Snickering, the magenta hared girl pointed to the pillow, which Kyoko left behind in her mad dash to leave. The pirate walked over to the blue covered pillow, but before she sat down, she turned back to Washuu.  
  
"Can I…uhh…can I…" she began, but Washuu interrupted her.  
  
"Yes, Kyoko. You can keep the pillow."  
  
~*~  
  
The bright white stars sparkled above. Tenchi and Ryoko lay side by side on the roof staring at the Milky Way painted in the sky. The pirate was snuggled next to her love's side, and his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Oh, look at that one!" the summoner said excitedly as a meteor raced across the velvety black of the night.  
  
Unbeknownst to anyone at the Masaki household, the two had spent the entire afternoon together, doing nothing more than walking, talking, and spending some well needed time together. Ryoko was still surprised about Tenchi's sudden urge to spend time with her, but enjoyed it all the same. Tenchi was beginning to think that maybe Kyoko was right. Maybe he was falling in love. And it wasn't so bad, like he thought it would be. Now, the task at hand was keeping it from the rest of the family.  
  
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked her. He felt her head move up and down in response.  
  
The two watched in silence for a few moments before Tenchi spoke again.  
  
"You miss it, don't you?" he asked her, already knowing the answer.  
  
She lay quietly for another few seconds before answering.  
  
"I do. I miss the feeling of being free. I miss the adrenaline rush. I miss the beauty…everything," she said, a deep sadness in her voice.  
  
"Would you go back?"  
  
"Would you go with me?" She laughed half-heartedly at her own words. Tenchi knew Ryoko thought he wouldn't. He tightened his hold on her shoulders and reached over with his free hand.  
  
Gingerly, the young prince picked up the summoner's right hand and held it in his own. Using his thumb, he traced the creases of her palm. Then, slowly, he lightly drug it down to the deep crimson gem in her wrist. Gently, he traced around its edge.  
  
Ryoko turned her head away from Tenchi and looked to the shadows of the trees. Her wrist tingled as he played with the gem embedded in her skin.  
  
The mysterious jewel had never failed to keep Tenchi's attention. It was amazing that such a tiny object could hold so much power and life. And there were three of them. Part of him felt bead because he controlled two of them. They weren't his; they were Ryoko's.  
  
Tenchi began to lightly push on the red gem. It sank deeper into the pirate's wrist. He continued when no response came from the one next to him.  
  
But just because Ryoko hadn't done anything didn't mean she couldn't feel it. She felt it all right. It felt like all the energy from the gem was being pushed out, and electricity was shooting up her arm and through her body. There was pain, but it was not as Ryoko had known all her life. There was comfort, and she welcomed it.  
  
The successor heard the pirate gasp, and he immediately stopped as a sudden thought came to him.  
  
"I'm hurting you," he said sadly. It wasn't a question, but a statement. He knew he was causing her pain.  
  
Ryoko turned her head to face him.  
  
"No," she cooed softly. "Don't worry." She was disappointed he had stopped. The feeling he had given her was new, and she longed for more.  
  
Instead, however, Tenchi carefully bent her hand back. He lowered her wrist to his lips and gave it a feather-light kiss. Her skin was warm and tasted sugar sweet. Carefully, he put it back where it was before.  
  
"I would go with you, you know," Tenchi told her. "Back to space."  
  
Shocked at his words, Ryoko turned over and looked at his face. He looked back at her, becoming absorbed in her golden eyes.  
  
"You would?"  
  
Smiling, he reached up and ran the back of his hand along her cheek. She leaned into his hand, closing her eyes. When he lowered his arm, she turned back over and scooted closer to the one she loved.  
  
~*~  
  
Two hours later, Kyoko could be found in her room on her futon. She was getting fed up with staring at that stupid piece of paper in front of her. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep. She had been staring at the same notebook page for the entire afternoon. Its bright red ink seemed to blur her vision. But there was something to what she was staring at. Something on that sheet of paper that remained hidden.  
  
On the page, in bright crimson pen, was a web. In a bubble in the center was the date "May 21". Other bubbles were connected to it. They read, "Ryoko's dreams began", "I hacked into GP's system", "I began my search", "Accident at the FNBJ", and "I supposedly died".  
  
"What the hell am I missing, damn it?!" she hissed at herself. She rubbed her eyes hard; causing spots to appear in her already impaired vision.  
  
Fed up, she threw the notebook against the wall as hard as she could. It collided, and the paper inside it flew in separate directions. Then, she fell back on the bed and closed her eyes. She could picture the red lines perfectly in her mind. They disgusted her; the way they fit so perfectly together with hidden reason. She was beginning to wonder what it was going to take to decipher them.  
  
"God! I give!" she said. "For all I know, I could be the one causing this shit." She laughed at the thought. Kyoko, the indomitable space pirate, was caught in the explosion and supposedly died on May 21. She got the sudden urge to do something she didn't even know how to do on May 21. She began to search for her friend on May 21. And…  
  
Ryoko's dreams began on May 21!  
  
Suddenly, the red head stopped laughing. That was it. That was the fact that stood out. That fact held the answer. She didn't know how it could have passed her before!  
  
Before she knew it, Kyoko dashed out of her room, down the stairs, and into Washuu's lab.  
  
"Washuu-chan?" she called. "Washuu?!" She ran through the alter-dimension laboratory until she found the mad scientist working on her computer.  
  
"What are you yelling about?" Washuu asked annoyed.  
  
"I've done it, Washuu. I've figured out what you've been working on for almost two months now," Kyoko panted.  
  
"And that would be…?"  
  
"I know what's causing Ryoko's dreams."  
  
Washuu stopped her work to stare at the space pirate, who was breathing heavily.  
  
"Impossible," she said. "I've been looking for that longer than you've even been here; there's no way you could have figured it out."  
  
Kyoko raised her eyes to face the doubtful genius when she replied, "You haven't been looking at the whole picture."  
  
"All right, then. What is it?" Washuu challenged.  
  
The red head stood up straight and walked over to the little girl. She didn't know how to say it. She had to use her knowledge to back her up, but it was all too hard to explain without a visual.  
  
"Do you have something I can write on? Something big enough you will be able to see what I write?"  
  
Washuu hit two keys at the same time on her keyboard, and a dry-erase board appeared next to Kyoko.  
  
"Thanks." She turned to face the board and picked up a red marker lying on the bottom. "Okay, I'm going to make this as simple as I can." Kyoko closed her eyes and pictured the web in her head. Each line that seemed so complicated before now looked so simple. As she remembered each little part, she copied it down on the white plastic, until the entire web was written up. Then, she turned back to the pink hared girl.  
  
"Now, this is the whole picture," the pirate said, gesturing to the white board. "Let's forget for a moment the explosion factor," she continued, putting a big "X" through the "Explosion at the FNBJ" circle. "This makes it easier to understand."  
  
Washuu felt as though she was being taught a lesson in class. The red lines made no sense to her, though it seemed like a simple web. Though she was having doubts, she continued to listen.  
  
"To make things short and sweet, I began my search on May 21. I hacked into the GP files May 21. I supposedly died on May 21. I did. I did all those things." Kyoko looked at the stunned genius, and knew she was getting her point across. "You get it, don't you?"  
  
Washuu gulped. "Don't say it, Kyoko. Don't say it."  
  
"I'm sorry, Washuu, but we must face the fact. At first it was meant to be a joke. I was stressed and in need of one. Now I see how wrong I was. It was no laughing matter." Kyoko looked down, ashamed. In a barely audible tone, she said, "The force causing Ryoko's dreams is…me…"  
  
  
  
~Notes from Minagi~  
  
Okay, that whole thing on the roof between Tenchi and Ryoko, that was just weird. It came to me one morning when I was lying in bed thinking about nothing in particular. Oh well, I hope you liked it!  
  
So, tell me, how do you like it so far? I think it's going pretty well, considering I didn't know how to put what's in my head down on paper. Tell me whatcha think!  
  
Arigatou and ja ne! 


	8. Beginning of the End Part One: A Pirate'...

~Notes from Minagi~  
  
Hey all, sorry about the long interval between updates. You know, school's winding down (finally), and I had a few overly large projects I had to do in a short span of time (probably because I am terrible when it comes to procrastinating). But, hey, all that's done now, and I can finally post this.  
  
Here's the deal. Chapter Seven was not originally supposed to be divided. But, I got to thinking this morning after I finished this, "It's gonna be incredibly long if I don't separate it." So, I decided to. This is only the first part. The second part is soon to come (hopefully)! Arigatou and ja ne!  
  
  
  
An eerie silence filled the lab, echoing in its vast nothingness. The twenty thousand-year-old genius sat staring, bewildered, at the space pirate. Her words bounced through Washuu's head.  
  
"The force causing Ryoko's dreams is…me…"  
  
It was impossible! There was no way Ryoko's best friend could be the cause of her pain. Yet she was. It was all there in front of her, spelled out in a web that before seemed to make no sense at all. Kyoko was the cause of everything, no denying it. But Washuu wouldn't give up without a fight.  
  
"No, Kyoko," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "It can't be you…"  
  
"It is, Washuu! There's no other explanation!" Kyoko's head jerked up as she said this.  
  
Washuu opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and closed it again. Instead, she gulped and continued to look at the crossing red lines on the board. She wasn't really paying any attention to them, though. Her mind was drifting back into the past, back into her own insights on the problem. She had found that there were two forces causing it; one was human, the other unreadable.  
  
"But you can't be the only…force causing this," the genius protested again. "When I did my research, I found there was something else."  
  
"No, you must have gone wrong somewhere," the red head said sadly. "I am the only one."  
  
"That's not been proven," Washuu shot out. She didn't like the thought of being wrong.  
  
"It makes no difference! I am still a cause!" Kyoko wiped a tear from her eye before continuing. "What can we do?"  
  
"We? WE? I don't know what WE can do, but what about you?"  
  
Though tears kept falling from the young pirate's dark eyes, her voice was full of anger at Washuu's words.  
  
"You have to help me."  
  
"How? I have nothing to help you with!" The scientist was having a hard time excepting this whole situation.  
  
"Washuu, YOU are the only one I can trust! You are the only one who can help me!" Kyoko shouted.  
  
Washuu shushed her and turned back to her computer.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what to do," she said, closing her end of the conversation. She hoped it would shut Kyoko up, but it didn't.  
  
"If you don't do it for me," she began, "do it for your daughter."  
  
Washuu stopped what she was doing. This girl was desperate for help, and she was willing to do whatever it took to stop herself from hurting Ryoko any more.  
  
But why me? The little girl thought.  
  
"You are the only one I can turn to. If I told anyone else, they'd be scared of me. I know that sounds weird coming from a pirate, but…" Kyoko's voice trailed off.  
  
Washuu sighed deeply. "All right, what do you want me to do?"  
  
The young woman dried her eyes. She hadn't thought about solutions to the problem yet.  
  
"Uhhhh," she said stupidly.  
  
"You mean to tell me," the genius said, eyebrow raised, "that you haven't thought about a possible way to stop this?"  
  
"I was hoping you could come up with something," the red head said, ashamed.  
  
"Mm-hm. So, you thought you could come in here, lay all this on me, then expect me to come up with something to do, is that it?" Washuu was getting extremely annoyed.  
  
"No! I wanted to help, but I have no ideas…except…maybe…" Kyoko stood in her spot and thought. Then, she shook her head, saying it was impossible.  
  
"What? What's impossible?"  
  
"I was just thinking we could all go into an alter-dimension (seeing as you're such a GENIUS and you're great with alter-dimensions). That way, I could stay out of the way, yet stay close enough to everyone I can see if the situation worsens!"  
  
Washuu tried confusedly to put it all together in her head. She hated situations when she was confused. She was a genius, and geniuses don't get confused (that often)! But lately, it had become an often occurrence.  
  
After a few minutes, she spoke.  
  
"Why can't we just stay here?"  
  
"Because I know this place, the lay of the land," was the response.  
  
"Okay, so why don't we just go somewhere else?"  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"Umm, the United States?"  
  
"First off, been there, done that. Second, George Washington's teeth weren't made of oak, they were made of cherry."  
  
Despite the situation, Washuu couldn't help but snort with laughter. Even in a tense situation, it was good to know one person had a sense of humor.  
  
"Washuu, I'm serious."  
  
"Ooookaaaay?" That wasn't a joke? Oops. "Right, how about…oh…I don't know…Great Britain?"  
  
"Naah, can't go back."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I pissed off the monarchy," Kyoko said simply. Washuu knew not to go into details, so she continued to ramble of countries, each one being turned down.  
  
"Okay, Kyoko, the only place I haven't suggested is future Tokyo! How about that?!" the genius spat angrily.  
  
"Washuu, for all we know, future Tokyo could have street names!"  
  
"Well, if you're not going to cooperate, why don't you just leave!" The scientist was getting rather aggravated. She didn't want to kick Kyoko out of her lab, but it seemed as though this wasn't the right time to discuss possible solutions to the problem, seeing as neither one of them had gotten any sleep.  
  
"I'm sorry, Washuu," Kyoko said sincerely. "It's just-"  
  
"Kyoko…" Washuu tried to cut the space pirate off.  
  
"-I'm really scared! I mean I never-"  
  
"Kyoko!"  
  
"-wanted to hurt Ryoko! Ever! And-"  
  
"Kyoko! It's all right! We can discuss this tomorrow!" The little pink hared girl got off her pillow and walked cautiously over to the heart broken girl.  
  
Kyoko stopped abruptly and looked at Washuu. Without warning, she fell to her knees in tears. The genius crouched down in front of her, laying her hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Look, Kyoko," Washuu began in a gentle voice, "if it makes you feel any better, I'm really sorry about yelling at you. Both of us need sleep, and I've got a feeling I need it more than you do. I know you never meant for this to happen, and I will be more than willing to help you end it…tomorrow."  
  
It helped a little, but the space pirate couldn't seem to calm her tears. Even still, she managed to say, "All right…tomorrow." Then, she got up and walked out of the lab.  
  
~*~  
  
The long hallway stretched before him, it's blackness providing him with little light. Tenchi shut the door to Ryoko's room. After the two had quieted down, they both had fallen asleep, and now it was two-o-clock in the morning. The young couple had to sneak in through Ryoko's window from the roof in order to avoid waking anyone up. Tenchi, after bidding the pirate good night, began his short journey down the dim corridor.  
  
Suddenly, an almost silent rustle reached his ears. He heard breathing, but it was ragged and uneven, almost inhuman. Still he saw no one. Slowly, he ventured forth on his own (like stupid people do in horror movies, only this time, no freaky music), trying to keep his own oxygen intake steady. There was a thump from behind him, and he turned around to look, but saw nothing. Nothing but the vast darkness.  
  
When the prince turned his head back around, he came face to face with a figure a little shorter than his beloved demon summoner, and ten times paler. Its eyes were a bloody and hateful red, and they bore into him like a knife, and its fist was clenching tighter and tighter. Electricity jumped from between its fingers. Tenchi knew he was in danger.  
  
He tried to call forth the Tenchi-ken, but it wouldn't come. It was no use. The creature's other hand reached up and loomed near his neck, as though it longed to strangle him. Yet it hesitated. Tenchi snapped his eyes shut.  
  
Light. Warm, sweet light flooded down the hallway. The redheaded space pirate blinked furiously, then shook her head. Her mind raced with thoughts, and Kyoko tried to keep up. But the harder she tried, the farther she fell back. She raised her left hand and covered her eyes, groaning.  
  
"Where the hell am I?" she whispered to herself.  
  
"Kyoko-san, what are you doing?" Sasami's innocent voice drifted to her ears.  
  
Kyoko looked at her surroundings and found it even more confusing. She was standing in front of Tenchi, and her right hand was extended towards his neck. She quickly lowered it to his shoulder and shook it.  
  
"You all right?" she asked him. He didn't answer. He just stood there, eyes as big as saucers. He seemed petrified. Under normal circumstances, she would have found this very funny. These, however, were not normal circumstances. His stone-like face just made her mind spin faster.  
  
"He looks like he's seen a ghost," the little princess said, coming up to the pirate's side.  
  
"No kidding. I wonder what happened."  
  
The young pyromaniac took a step to the side of the one blocking her way, but she immediately overbalanced and fell to the floor. Her coordination was terrible, as though her brain and leg muscles were no longer communicating with each other. Her head pulsated, and she was having a hard time gathering her thoughts. Her eyes stung, but she managed to focus on two deep red objects below her. Through the mists of the scramble, she felt her hand reach out and pick them up.  
  
Suddenly, the storm of her mind cleared up. Everything began to work like it should.  
  
"Kyoko-san!" Sasami shrieked in alarm. "What's wrong?!" She fell to her knees to help the fallen girl.  
  
Tenchi suddenly jolted out of his petrified stupor. He shook his head vigorously and looked wildly around for the creature that attacked him. But he saw no sign of it. All he saw was a scared little Sasami helping up the newest member of the household.  
  
"What in the hell is going on here?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else.  
  
The two girls looked up at him. His face clearly showed confusion. He had no idea what had just happened. And to make the situation worse, neither did the other two.  
  
"What are you doing?!" The trio grimaced at the sound of this voice. They knew they were going to have to do some fast-talking. Aeka had just woken up.  
  
"Tenchi, what the hell?" So had Ryoko. In fact, within seconds, the entire family (with the exception of Washuu and Katsuhito) was crowded out in the little corridor, demanding to know what was going on.  
  
Sasami shrank beneath her sister's accusing (and rather psychopathic) stare, and Kyoko had to keep herself pre-occupied. Ryoko was glaring at her and Tenchi like no other. She bent down next to the little girl and helped her up, wrapping her arms protectively around her back.  
  
"Nothing happened!" Tenchi said.  
  
"Tenchi had come downstairs with me for some hot chocolate," Sasami lied. Her voice was soft, but at this point in time, it was also one of those where you heard every word she said. As she started talking, everyone stopped what he or she was doing to listen. "When we came back upstairs, Tenchi bumped into Kyoko, knocking her down. That's all that happened."  
  
"Honestly, Sasami-chan?" Aeka questioned.  
  
The little blue-hared princess backed away from the one holding her to face her sister. Instead of answering, she gave her older sister a big, toothy grin.  
  
Laughing, the first crown princess shook her head and mumbled something that sounded like, "You and your hot chocolate." She then took her sister's hand and led her back to their room for bed.  
  
As the rest of the gang left the hallway, moaning and grumbling (and, in Mihoshi's case, sleepwalking), Tenchi and Kyoko stood dumbfounded. Sasami had just lied to her sister…to everyone…just to save their backs. They owed her one. Big time.  
  
~*~  
  
The cold. Its bittersweet familiarity encircled Ryoko's body like the wind. The young oni found herself once again trapped inside the dimension of sorrow that had haunted her in her nightmares for so many nights. Only, this time it was different. This time, the pain of dreams and death past didn't wait. It met her there with a vengeance unlike any other.  
  
"Not again," Ryoko choked out through a mouthful of blood. "Tenchi, please help me."  
  
Red tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. She looked up and saw standing before her a semi-transparent little girl with long, light blue pigtails.  
  
"Sa…Sasami-chan, what are you doing here? Get out!"  
  
Sasami's mouth moved, but no sound came out. She reached out for Ryoko, and Ryoko raised her hand. When the two made contact, Ryoko screamed as even more blood poured from her wound, spilling to the invisible ground like a waterfall.  
  
Suddenly, a flashing florescent blue blade came out of nowhere, decapitating the small princess. Ryoko tried to shout, but her head seared with white-hot agony.  
  
Out of nowhere, Sasami's older sister appeared, and she ran over to the little girl's bloody remains. A look of utmost horror and sickness crossed her face.  
  
Ryoko screamed out for Ayeka, and she choked on her own red body fluid as it dripped from between her lips. She watched as the princess fell to her knees in tears.  
  
From behind Aeka came Tenchi, who also looked down at Sasami. His reaction was different. He had to turn away and puke. The sight of the small princess's insides spilling out over the invisible ground was too much for him.  
  
The prince dared another look around, and his eyes came to rest on his love, bleeding and dying. Her breaths were coming in short, piercing gasps as her heart began to slow. A pool of blood and fluids had formed around her body, soaking almost every inch of her black and red battle suit. This really was a painful way to die.  
  
Tenchi walked uneasily over to Ryoko and knelt down beside her, placing one hand over her wound and the other around her shoulders.  
  
The demon summoner's pain increased yet again, and it took a while to realize why.  
  
Tenchi's fingers were digging into her side, into the open injury. They were twisting and turning, pulling what life she had left away from her as they tore away chunks of flesh and tissue.  
  
"You still don't know who I am, Ryoko?" came a voice from beside the almost dead space pirate. "My, my. I'm very disappointed in you."  
  
Ryoko raised her eyes to where she believed Tenchi to be, but instead of finding him, she found a dark shadow. It radiated hate and the longing to kill. She knew she had seen the shadow before, yet she couldn't place it.  
  
The shadow's fingers twisted once more inside her body before ripping out, bringing Ryoko's very soul with it. On her final breath, Ryoko let out an ear-piercing scream. A scream that woke her up…  
  
  
  
Ryoko's scream once again echoed around the house, waking everyone inside. As usual, Sasami was the first up and ready to help her friend. But this time it was different. There was that feeling…something was totally wrong. Even Tsunami could feel it.  
  
The little girl dashed out of her room and into Ryoko's, closely followed by Tenchi. Kyoko and Kiyone had gone to get Washuu.  
  
The scared demon summoner was curled up and crying out of fear. Strange, but no one had ever seen her so scared before. The two standing before her knew the dream had changed somehow.  
  
Tenchi carefully walked over to Ryoko's bedside and sat down. Immediately, Ryoko responded by setting up and lying back down in his welcoming arms. Her head lay against his chest, and she could feel his muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt. The boy noticed the one in his arms smelled faintly of chamomile and cherry blossoms, and her silken strands of hair brushed his neck and chin. Her body trembled, and he felt its every move as it vibrated through her large, red nightshirt and into him.  
  
The pirate listened to the gentle rhythm of Tenchi's beating heart. His body heat made her feel protected, and his arms around her back only made the feeling stronger.  
  
But visions of the nightmare continued to torture her mind.  
  
"T-Tenchi?" Sasami said, uncertainly. She took a step towards the bed. "Is…is Ryoko going to be all right?"  
  
Tenchi silently nodded his head. Then he looked down into the pirate's blue-white hair and tightened his grip around her. She continued to shake, and her shoulders heaved up and down with every gasp.  
  
"Ryoko?" he whispered.  
  
"Please," she pleaded desperately, "don't let go."  
  
That's when Tenchi knew it was bad. Usually, Ryoko liked to endure her problems alone. But not this time.  
  
Washuu, Kiyone, and Kyoko walked into the room rather briskly. Kiyone walked over behind Sasami, putting her hand's on the little girl's shoulders.  
  
"Are you okay, Sasami-chan?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," was the almost silent reply.  
  
Washuu glided over to the bed and sat down on the other side of the frightened space pirate. Ryoko turned her tear-stained eyes towards the genius, never moving her head from the comfort of Tenchi's chest.  
  
It's times like this, she thought, that I'm glad you're my mother.  
  
Washuu was taken back by this thought. She had heard what her daughter had secretly said, and it shocked her. She was sure her face showed her surprise.  
  
*You heard me?* Ryoko asked telepathically.  
  
*Y-yes. I did.* Washuu's face broke into a gentle smile at the summoner's next words.  
  
*I meant it.*  
  
*You have grown, Little Ryoko.*  
  
Ryoko smiled, but the smile faded as she became aware of another presence in the room. A presence which she feared. It brought back the visions of her dream. Her face became emotionless, and she turned her head away from her mother. She could feel it. The blood. It's coppery taste filling her mouth as it dripped from her lips. The feeling of the shadow's hand ripping out her soul from her body…  
  
The oni closed her eyes, remembering everything about her dream. Everything down to the feelings she felt deep in her dying heart.  
  
Washuu gasped and clutched her own stomach. It felt as though it had burst open, such was the pain Ryoko was showing her. Everything she was seeing and feeling was being sent to her by her daughter.  
  
"Washuu!" Sasami screamed, running from Kiyone.  
  
"No!" Washuu held up her hand, stopping the little princess. Her breathing became uneven.  
  
"Ryoko?" Tenchi's voice broke Ryoko's concentration, and all attention turned to him. "Are you okay?"  
  
Ryoko's eyes softened, and she raised her hand to his cheek. He became slightly stiff for a split second, then relaxed. He was getting used to her doing these kinds of things now. Well, for the most part.  
  
"Kyoko!" Washuu suddenly shouted, startling everyone in the room. She got up and walked to the door. "Follow me."  
  
"But…why?" Kyoko's voice came out of the shadows of the room, quiet and scared. Ryoko hadn't noticed her friend was in the same place as she was.  
  
"Don't argue, just come." The genius stalked out of her daughter's bedroom.  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Kyoko replied, following. Her shoulders were hunched, and she didn't walk with her usual bounce. In fact, she didn't look at all like herself. Her face was white, and her hands visibly trembled.  
  
It's as though she thinks Washuu is going to punish her, Tenchi thought.  
  
Kiyone, Ryoko, Tenchi, and Sasami watched the doorway as the red head slouched through. As Kyoko exited, in walked Aeka, eyelids drooping and obviously exhausted.  
  
"Sasami, what are you…st…still…" her voice faded when her eyes came to rest on Tenchi and Ryoko.  
  
"Aeka…" Ryoko said in an almost soothing manor.  
  
Instead of listening, the first crown princess stood up straight and looked to her sister.  
  
"Sasami-chan, don't go to bed to late. Hurry back."  
  
"Yes, sister," Sasami replied in a chipper yet tired voice.  
  
Upon the princess's reply, Aeka gracefully backed out of Ryoko's room. But instead of going back to her own room, she leaned against the wall just outside the room. Her heart was racing, and she was having trouble holding back the tears. She didn't want to believe what she had seen; Ryoko lying in Tenchi's arms. She didn't want it to be true, but she knew it was. She knew the heartbreaking truth.  
  
No! Stop it, Aeka! It's NOT true! She thought to herself.  
  
More thoughts terrorized her heart. Thoughts like, Why? and Where did I go wrong?.  
  
"Well, Ryoko, I can't believe it. You…you…" Aeka couldn't bring herself to say it. She picked up the pieces of her heart, dignity, and pride from the floor and walked into her room, lying on her pink futon.  
  
Nothing could stop her now. The gashes made in her spirit bled, and Aeka let the tears come. She let them spill over her puffy red face and into her violet hair. They splashed to her pillow, which became soaked in a matter of minutes. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Tenchi. She never thought she would. She always knew he would choose her, but he didn't, and she found out the worst way possible. She had to face the fact.  
  
Ryoko had won… 


	9. Beginning of the End Part Two: A Princes...

~Notes from Minagi~  
  
Hey, all! School's out, so I was able to get this posted a lot sooner than expected. I just want to give you a forewarning: towards the end of this part, my profanity gets a little out of hand. I'm really sorry!! Other than that, the only other comments I have to make are mainly to alitghthawk.  
  
Don't worry, I won't chew your head off, I just wanted to say that the only reason everything may not be explained is because, in the original plot, Kyoko wasn't a once thought dead space pirate. She was, in fact, a reincarnated guardian from a different planet, who did not recover her memories until she was on the Earth for thirteen years. So if I don't explain something, sorry, that's why. I've had to do some major tweaking to the story to make it fit for the space pirate angle, and I may have missed some things. But, oh well, that's all explained in this chapter.  
  
ENJOY (and please review!)!! ^.^  
  
  
  
Aeka rose with the sun the next day, her eyes still puffy and her heart still shattered in her chest. Nothing seemed to be right. Tenchi, her Tenchi, the one she loved with her heart and soul, didn't return her feelings. He didn't love her back, and now what was left of her beautiful world came crashing down. But Aeka had cried all her tears, and now, armed with tape and an open mind, she left the comfort of her room and went downstairs, willing to listen to what her love had to say.  
  
When she reached the stairs, the strong and luring scent of her little sister's cooking reached her nostrils. She breathed it in deeply and smiled, despite her broken heart.  
  
It's good to know some things are still the same, she thought.  
  
Aeka finished walking down the stairs to find Kiyone on one of the pink couches, immersed in a book, and Kyoko and Mihoshi playing some kind of card game.  
  
When the princess reached the bottom of the stairs, Kiyone looked up from her page and smiled.  
  
"Ohayo gozaimasu, Miss Aeka!" she said, clearly in an unusually happy mood.  
  
Aeka chuckled. "Good morning to you, too, Kiyone. You're in a good mood today!"  
  
"Kyoko's taught Mihoshi a new game!" the GP member replied, implying hidden meaning.  
  
The princess laughed, understanding what she meant. "Kyoko's taught Mihoshi a new game," may have been what Kiyone had said, but what she was thinking was, "Mihoshi's being kept busy and out of my hair!"  
  
"Do you want to sit down, Aeka?" Kiyone asked, offering the seat next to her.  
  
"No, thank you," Aeka replied. "Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me where Lord Tenchi is?"  
  
"I haven't seen him, sorry." Kiyone looked truly sympathetic. She knew why Aeka wanted to see him; her face still showed it.  
  
"Tenchi-kun went out to the fields, Aeka-sama," Kyoko said, turning around. She grimaced when she saw the first crown princess's puffy red face. So the poor girl knew.  
  
The purple hared heir bowed her thanks and turned to leave when she was hit by the family's blue hared, big-eyed bullet.  
  
"'Morning, big sister!" Sasami said enthusiastically. Aeka returned the hug, smiling. Her sister always had a way of making her do that. She was so innocent and carefree, with nothing to bother her, nothing to break her heart. "Ready for breakfast? It'll be done in a little bit!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Sasami-chan," the older one said, "I won't be having breakfast."  
  
Sasami backed up and poked out her bottom lip, pouting. "But I made some for you! Don't let it go to waste!"  
  
"Oh, it won't. Remember, Ryoko lives here. She'll eat it."  
  
Giving up, the little girl sighed. "All right." Then she turned on her heel and walked back to the kitchen.  
  
As soon as her sister left the room, Aeka glided gracefully to the door and out of the house. Even though on the outside she looked fine (with the exception of her face), she was fighting and losing her own battle on the inside. She didn't even know what she was going to say to Tenchi. She kept battling herself over how she was going to act, how he was going to act, what she was going to say, and how he was going to reply. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't realize it when she walked into the fields. When she finally jolted out of thinking mode, she was nearly five feet behind him, and he hadn't even noticed.  
  
Tenchi stood up, wiping his brow and throwing the last carrot into the wicker basket beside his feet. Then he picked it up and turned to go home, when he noticed Aeka standing, looking at him through forcibly normal eyes. He could tell immediately that she was trying to hold back tears, and he smiled at her.  
  
"Good morning, Miss Aeka!" he said, half out of habit, half wishing this would prove his observations wrong.  
  
At his words, her entire face fell. He knew right away that she knew whom he had chosen, and he knew that she knew it wasn't her.  
  
"Lord Tenchi, I need to talk to you," she said sadly, walking towards him, her head hung low.  
  
"Miss Aeka-" he began, but she stopped him by putting a single finger over his lips.  
  
"Please, just listen to me. Don't speak," she said, looking up. The tears she thought she had shed earlier had begun to flow freely. "I've poured my soul to you before, and you listened. Please, just let me do that again." She moved her finger when he nodded in agreement. "Do you remember when I told you that all I wanted was for you to join the royal family and stay on Jurai so I could be near you?"  
  
Tenchi nodded. He remembered it. That was just before he left Jurai for Earth. He had refused because staying didn't seem right. He wasn't being raised as an heir, he was being raised to become a Shinto priest and follow in his grandfather's footsteps.  
  
"I was crushed when you said no, but I tried not to show it. I believed you would stay, because I believed that eventually you would fall in love with me. Whenever I fought with Ryoko over you, I thought that one- day she would eat her words. I believed with my very being that no one could love you as much as I did! But, I see now that I was wrong. Tenchi, Ryoko loves you with her heart, mind, and soul, and would give her life for what you want in a heartbeat."  
  
This comment sent a pang of guilt through Tenchi's mind. Ryoko would indeed do that. She once had. She had died trying to get him to the royal palace to save the very person telling him this. The boy was just grateful for his love's ability to regenerate, or she wouldn't be here today. Strange thing was, no one had told Aeka this, and here she was, talking about it.  
  
And still, the princess continued.  
  
"All I want for you is what you think is best. I accept that you love Ryoko, and I beg we can still be good friends. But know this: though I stand no chance now, I still love you. I will always love you. And when I must return home to my planet, I beg you, do not forget my love is still in you. I know one day I'll find another, but you will always have a part of my heart."  
  
Crying even harder now, the broken hearted woman gave Tenchi the hug she had always wanted to give him, and he returned it without his usual reluctance.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry, Aeka," he told her, tears forming in his own eyes.  
  
"Do not-do not apologize, Tenchi," the sobbing girl choked out. "I should have seen this coming." And with that, she ran from him, her face buried in her hands.  
  
Tenchi just stood there, stunned. When he realized he was still holding the carrots, he began to slowly walk home.  
  
  
  
Tenchi slowly opened the door and stepped through. He was still trying to contemplate what he had just heard while he removed the wicker basket from his back and his shoes from his feet.  
  
"Tenchi?" He heard someone calling his name uncertainly, and when he looked up, he found the voice to be Ryoko's. "Breakfast is ready."  
  
Ryoko could tell her Tenchi was distracted, so she walked over and took both his hands in hers. Giving him the saddest puppy dog eyes she could muster, she asked him what was wrong.  
  
"Aeka...Aeka just poured her soul to me...again," he told her, avoiding her eyes and staring beside her left upper arm. He was positive she would get mad at the princess, but was thrown off guard when he looked up and saw her wearing her rarely seen extremely gentle smile.  
  
"I understand. Go eat," she told him. Before he could protest, she had gone.  
  
  
  
She couldn't stop crying, no matter how hard she tried. Though Aeka thought she had cried all the tears she could the last night, it was obvious she still had more. She ignored the world, and remained all alone in oblivion. It didn't even phase her when she heard a quiet thump beside her.  
  
"Hush, little child, calm your tears," came a voice like a song amongst the wind. Aeka almost thought it was a guardian angel here to comfort her. But when she looked up, she saw she was yet again wrong.  
  
Ryoko sat down beside her on top of the rough stone of the cave.  
  
"What are you doing here, of all places?" she asked.  
  
"I guess this is where my feet carried me," Aeka replied. "Come to have a good gloat, have you?"  
  
"Not at all, princess," the oni said, shaking her head. "It's your turn to listen."  
  
Whatever Ryoko meant by that, Aeka had no clue, but she had the feeling she was about to find out.  
  
"You have poured out your soul to the world around you, and now it's my turn. Will you listen?"  
  
"You won't gloat?"  
  
The pirate smiled. "Of course not."  
  
Sighing, Aeka agreed to listen.  
  
"Look, I don't know if anyone's told you this before in the past, but when Tenchi came to rescue you from Kagato, it's because I gave him a ride."  
  
"But you were severely wounded! How could you manage?!" the shocked woman said.  
  
"Aeka, please listen. Before he came, before he even had decided to come, I lay in my room, watching myself die. I knew I was going to, sooner rather than later. I watched myself slowly bleed to death, and I watched the bacteria literally eat me alive. But all the while, I couldn't help but think of Tenchi's safety. I knew he would come after you. So, I slowly pulled myself off my bed, and walked into the hallway. Leaning against the wall, I noticed he was walking down the corridor, coming my way. I realized then that I was right. He was going after you. I admit, I begged him not to, I even went so far as to threaten to steal him away. I wanted nothing more than to forget my troubles and spend my last moments by his side. I wanted to confess everything to him, down to the darkest reaches of my wounded spirit. But he refused. Do you know why?"  
  
Aeka shook her head. She had no idea where this story was going, but it actually intrigued her.  
  
"Because he had his mind set on saving you, and nothing was going to stop him from doing that. He didn't care that he didn't have full control over his sword. He didn't care he was facing death himself. He would rather die than not go after you. My point is, it's because he loves you. Though it may not be how you want him to, he does, and it's unconditional. He may not see it yet, but I thought you should know."  
  
Aeka couldn't help but be amazed. Here was the space pirate who had once destroyed her home, causing mass destruction on her life, and now she was comforting her?! This was madness! This was insane! This was...  
  
...Exactly what Aeka needed to hear. Wiping tears from her eyes, she looked at Ryoko.  
  
"Did you die?" she asked.  
  
Ryoko looked down at the ground between her feet, then back up at the one next to her. "Yes, princess, I did."  
  
It was then that the first crown princess did something she'd never thought she'd do in her entire life. She leaned into Ryoko's shoulder and cried. The demon summoner wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl and whispered words of hope and comfort to her, and Aeka saw, for the very first time, the true infamous space pirate Ryoko.  
  
Not that that would change anything too drastically, but just for the moment…that one sweet moment when Ryoko revealed her heart…  
  
  
  
Kyoko had been humming the same song all morning. Same tune, no words. It sounded like an angel's song. Almost like an angel was speaking of its downfall in the form of music. It was beautiful, it was sad, but where it came from, not even Kyoko herself knew.  
  
She looked down to the cards in her hand, from the two of clubs to the ace of diamonds. Finally, choosing three of the five in her hand, she set them face down on the table, saying, "I'll take three, Ryoko-san".  
  
She waited for her cards to come, continuing to hum quietly. But when they didn't, she looked up.  
  
Ryoko had her head in one of her hands, a look of intense pain on her face. Immediately, Kyoko stopped humming and asked what was wrong.  
  
"I have a splitting headache, and I can't seem to forget my dream."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Kyoko said, putting the rest of her cards down. "Do you want to stop?"  
  
"No, the strange thing is, I'm fine now. It keeps coming and going," Ryoko replied, letting her hand fall to the stack of cards below her. She picked up three and tossed them across the small wooden table, and Kyoko picked them up, placing them in her hands. She resumed humming.  
  
The song had been stuck in her head all day, and she had never even heard it before! It was really getting on her nerves, but she just couldn't stop singing it.  
  
Such intense pain. It was nearly blinding Ryoko as it came back worse than before. She kept hearing a sorrowful tune every time it started, and her pain would go away as soon as it stopped. But she couldn't figure out where the song was coming from.  
  
The demon summoner grabbed her head, gasping and clenching her eyes shut as the pain began to increase. Visions of her dreams flashed in her mind's eye, and she once again felt the blood pouring out from her lips and side. The music volume increased, and she opened her left eye far enough to see Kyoko swaying slightly with the tune.  
  
"Kyoko?" she said, trying and failing to keep her voice even.  
  
Kyoko looked up. "Oh my God, Ryoko!" She rose as fast as she could, leaping over the table beside her friend. This attracted the attention of everyone else at the table (i.e. Tenchi, Mihoshi, Washuu, and Nobuyuki), and they followed the frightened pirate to their comrade's side.  
  
The searing pain stopped as quickly as it had come yet again, and Ryoko's head was clear. She looked up into the frightened eyes of her partner.  
  
"Kyoko-san, where did you learn that song?" she asked.  
  
Everyone backed up in surprise, simultaneous "huh?"'s and "what?"'s echoing throughout the group.  
  
"I don't know," Kyoko replied, wondering what importance it served. "It just came to me, why?"  
  
Ryoko felt foolish. The song served no purpose at all! It had nothing to do with this! So, she shrugged her shoulders, pleading ignorance.  
  
"Kyoko, please follow me to my lab," Washuu said to the girl, planning on going over possible solutions for the problem at hand. She understood why Ryoko had asked such a question in such an unusual time. Her daughter had believed that to be the cause of what was happening to her. She believed that song was causing her headaches. It was strange, yes, but with all that Washuu had heard over the past couple of days, she wasn't taking any chances. So, leading the way, the two marched through the broom closet's door into the sub-space laboratory.  
  
The rest of the group watched the two disappear behind the door, looks of pure stupidity on their faces.  
  
"I guess this means the game's over," Nobuyuki said, laying his cards on the table.  
  
"Damn!" Ryoko hissed, lying her own cards down. "I was working on a straight in spuds!"  
  
"You mean spades, Ryoko-san?" Tenchi said, a smile crossing his lips.  
  
"Those too," she said, blushing magenta.  
  
Mihoshi remained silent, looking at her cards. Then she lay them face up on the table. "I don't think I really had anything," she said sadly.  
  
The remainder of the card players looked down at her cards, and their jaws dropped.  
  
"Mihoshi, you had a Royal Flush," Tenchi said in awe.  
  
"Oh." The blonde cocked her head to the side, wondering. Finally, she said, "Is that good?"  
  
Everyone fell to the ground, anime style.  
  
~*~  
  
The sweet smell of the grass, the gentle caress of the wind; everything around him was perfect. Well, almost everything. Tenchi still had something on his mind, something to complete. Walking outside amidst the final rays of the setting sun, the young prince looked to the sky, the Master Key clasped firmly between his fingers.  
  
The golden ribbons of light flowed gracefully down to the earth, bouncing of Ryoko's slender figure, painting an orange tinge among her cyan strands of hair. She stood on air, watching the light blue horizon burn and eventually become navy. Behind her, the moon's own silvery red light reflected upon the ground, slowly creeping up on the sun. The day was ending, and the night was soon to begin.  
  
The night. A glorious time of darkness, when the moon watches the Earth like a mother over her child, and the stars dance among the velvety black. When spirits of one's past come once again from the shadows of their death's to walk the plains of the living once more. This was Ryoko's favorite time. This was her time to fly, because nothing could stop her from being free.  
  
"Ryoko!"  
  
Except for that. Tenchi's voice rang out from beneath Ryoko's feet, and she looked away from the dying day to see her love standing below her, smiling.  
  
"Come down here, I have something for you!" he shouted.  
  
What could he possibly want to give me? She thought, but she obeyed him any way. Floating to the ground, she stopped a few feet above the grass.  
  
Tenchi looked up at the one before him. He wanted so badly to do what he knew was right, but he also knew the consequences of it. Still, he did love her, and he knew she wanted it…  
  
Breathing deeply, he took hold of her hands, pulling her to the ground. Staring deeply into Ryoko's eyes, he was momentarily mesmerized be the reflection of the oncoming darkness that he saw in them.  
  
"Ryoko, I've been thinking for quite some time now," he began, not knowing where to go. She leaned her head to one side, as if to say, "I'm listening."  
  
Sighing, Tenchi continued. "I know the consequences of my actions, and I am ready and willing to accept them. Yes, it is an irreversible process, but don't care anymore."  
  
"Tenchi, what are you talking about?" she asked him in the voice of a curious little girl.  
  
"I want to give you back the gems," he told her.  
  
The pirate gasped. "No! That'll deactivate the Master Key! You can't do that! Not for me!"  
  
"No, Ryoko-san, it won't deactivate the sword. Remember, it worked before the gems were embedded inside?"  
  
"True…" Ryoko was uncertain about this. She wanted to once again have control of all the gems so badly, but she was scared of what it would do to him, even in the long run. He was more important to her than producing her own Light Hawk Wings.  
  
"Please don't argue, I know you want control again, and I've been wrong in neglecting to give it to you."  
  
"I…I can't do it!" she argued. "What about you? What will hap…" She immediately stopped when his fingers brushed the soft skin of her cheek. They ran up along her jawbone, sending shivers down her spine. She hated when he did that. She felt she could surrender to anything. Whimpering, she looked at him.  
  
Tenchi was serious, she could tell. This was what they both wanted. Reluctantly, she silently agreed to take back the final jewels and her awesome power.  
  
The price backed up so he was about a meter away from her, and she held out her arms wrist up.  
  
He looked down at the gems, and couldn't help but notice they looked darker than usual, but he figured it was because of the awkward lighting. Pointing the end of the sword hilt towards her, he silently prayed for the red gems to return to their rightful owner.  
  
A burning sensation penetrated Ryoko's left wrist as it began to glow. Slowly, the light died and was replaced by the first gem. Then, in the center of her neck, she felt the other forming. She could tell the power was flowing through her blood, and it was like electricity was jolting her body. But it didn't stop there. The burn increased to pain. Unbearable pain. It was quickly wiping her of all energy. From around the edges of the two red gems came blood. Unable to hold herself up, she collapsed to the ground, eyes tight shut. She heard Tenchi's voice from somewhere above her, but she couldn't comprehend what he was saying.  
  
As soon as Ryoko had collapsed, Tenchi wished he could take the gems back. This didn't happen last time, when he had given her the first one. Something was terribly wrong here. He ran as fast as he could over to her side and gathered her now hemorrhaging body into his arms and ran as fast as he could back to the house.  
  
Halfway across the lawn, the scared successor almost ran into Washuu, who had obviously felt Ryoko's pain through the link.  
  
"Put her down!" The scientist ordered, and Tenchi did as he was told. Washuu did some kind of weird hand motion (Tenchi couldn't quite see what it was), and the gems fell out. The blood stopped flowing, and Ryoko lie on the ground, gasping in the air around her.  
  
The boy knelt down next to her and gingerly picked her up, placing her in his lap. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder, continuing to breathe deeply. Tenchi held on to his love tightly and looked up to Washuu, who was examining the gems.  
  
"These aren't the real gems," the magenta hared genius said. "These were created to do exactly what they did…"  
  
~*~  
  
Nighttime quickly fell upon the city of Ookayama. An unusually bright red moon illuminated the trees and grass, casting eerie shadows that jumped out at every unsuspecting person who happened to pass one.  
  
The two Masaki Space Pirates were lying side by side on Ryoko's futon, looking at old photo albums from when Ryoko joined the family to the most recent times. They both had their drink of choice. Ryoko had her sake; Kyoko had a homemade pina colada. Both were extremely tipsy, and they were giggling like mad.  
  
"Ryoko, you look like a freak!" Kyoko said hysterically, taking another sip of her drink and staring at a picture of her friend standing on the table and downing an entire bottle of sake. Beside her in the picture, Washuu and Nobuyuki were watching her, anxiously cheering.  
  
"That was last winter," Ryoko explained, wiping sake off her bottom lip and chin with her bandaged wrist. Her neck still burned, and her wrist hadn't fully stopped bleeding when the gem had fallen out, but she was just fine now. In fact, if it weren't for the bandages and marks the gems had left behind, you never would have been able to tell anything had happened. "The old man didn't believe I could drink and entire bottle of sake in under thirty seconds. Washuu bet him that I could."  
  
"Did you?"  
  
"Of course!" the demon girl replied, laughing. "But when I finished, I passed out and woke up two days later with the worst freaking hangover I'd ever had."  
  
"Did you ever try that again?" Kyoko snickered.  
  
"Oh, hell yes."  
  
Both laughed at this.  
  
Ryoko flipped to the next page. Immediately, Kyoko's eyes were drawn to a picture of Ryoko and Sasami at the beach. The princess was standing in front in a cute pink and yellow two piece swimsuit. Behind her stood the summoner, and her arms were tightly wrapped around Sasami. She was kneeling on the pearly sand so her head came to rest on the little girl's tiny shoulders. Her swimsuit was a black and red tie die bikini, and her hair was, as usual, down and free to fly with the breeze. Both girls seemed to be laughing, and Sasami held her usual peace sign to the side.  
  
"That one's cute," the red head commented, pointing to the photograph.  
  
"That one was taken a few days before you arrived, actually," Ryoko replied, a small smile crossing her lips as she remembered that day. "We took a trip to the beach about a week prior to your arrival, and I am pleased to announce that no alcohol was involved in the taking of this picture!"  
  
"You meanie!" Kyoko said like a little girl, slapping her friend's arm playfully.  
  
Ryoko flipped the page again, and again, and again. The two continued to reflect on times past for a few minutes before Kyoko spoke again.  
  
"Ryoko-san, I have a question for you."  
  
"Fire away," the one beside her responded, her words slurred slightly.  
  
"You know when we blew up the bank?"  
  
Ryoko snorted. "Who could forget?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
"Good point. Well, any way, I was wondering...this may be kind of unexpected, but...why did you run?"  
  
The cyan beauty stopped what she was doing in mid drink and looked at her friend's blushing face out of the corner of her feline-like eye.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"Just wondering, I guess. I was really angry at you for the longest time because of it." Kyoko's face was beet red, almost blending with her hair.  
  
"I guess...because I got scared."  
  
"Scared?! You're kidding me?" the second pirate said, all embarrassment lost.  
  
"I thought I had just blown you up, and then I heard the GP fleet," Ryoko mumbled, her own face reddening now.  
  
"Oh, please, cut the crap and tell me why you really ran!"  
  
Ryoko shot her friend a look of pure anger that told Kyoko she was serious. "Well, what about you? You were on this planet for years, and did you come looking for me? Oh, no! That's too much for you to handle, isn't it?"  
  
"Shut up! I stayed here and laid low for a few years! I didn't come after you because, let's face it, I was pissed! You left me and ran! I almost did die!"  
  
"I thought you immediately died!" the furious cyan hared pirate retaliated.  
  
"Well, I didn't. But, over the years, I kept my ears open for any sign of you so I could go and rejoin you! Then, one day, I heard you had attacked Jurai, and it was suspected that Yosho had killed you! THAT'S why I never came running back! And when I wreaked too much havoc in one place, I moved somewhere else!"  
  
Both pirates were now standing, shouting at each other.  
  
"And exactly how am I supposed to know that?!" Ryoko screamed.  
  
"I didn't expect you to!" Kyoko's face was now darker than her hair, and it had nothing to do with embarrassment.  
  
"And what was with that "Cut the crap and tell me why you really ran" comment?!"  
  
"Well, I didn't believe you because on a usual basis you don't get that scared! I thought you'd never abandon me!"  
  
Ryoko couldn't believe this girl. She was supposed to be her best friend, and she was acting like a bitch. It was pissing Ryoko off something fierce.  
  
"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, DAMMIT!" she screamed. "Get out! Just leave!"  
  
"Oh, and you think because you were kidnapped by some hot shot badass and used to kill everyone around that gives you the right to order me around? God, Ryoko, you really are a fucking defect!"  
  
The demon summoner was taken by surprise. What Kyoko had just said was in a voice very much unlike her own. It sounded just like the person whom she hated with her very existence. But it was impossible, he was dead.  
  
You fucking defect! Those words. Kagato had always called her that. But no one had told Kyoko about him. And here she was, calling her a... It burned her heart, until there was nothing but ashes. Out of pure hatred, Ryoko struck her friend as hard as she could, sending Kyoko crashing to the floor.  
  
Propped on her elbows, staring at the ground below her, Kyoko raised her hand to her cheek, where Ryoko had just slapped her.  
  
What is going on? she thought. Slowly and painfully, she rose to her feet and turned to face her companion. The woman was seething and breathing heavily, and her eyes were burning.  
  
"Ryoko, what was that for?" she whimpered.  
  
"Don't give me that!" Ryoko screamed, causing Kyoko to cringe. "That's what you get for calling me a fu...an f-ing defect!"  
  
"What are you talking about? I never said that!" the red head said, knowing Ryoko wouldn't believe her.  
  
"Bull shit!"  
  
"I'm serious! One moment we're looking at pictures and I ask you why you ran, but that's all I remember saying! I never heard your response! Next thing I know, you slap me, practically breaking my jaw! I didn't say anything! I swear..." Kyoko's voice faltered. She stood there for a moment, staring into space. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, she ran out of the room in tears.  
  
Ryoko stood, dumbfounded, for what seemed to her like forever.  
  
*Washuu, what just happened?* she asked her mother telepathically.  
  
It took Washuu a little while to respond, but when she did, all she said was, *Family meeting, downstairs, now.*  
  
The lost woman stood for a few more seconds before teleporting herself downstairs to the living room.  
  
  
  
When Ryoko materialized downstairs, she found herself facing the entire family except for Kyoko. Everyone except Washuu gave her scared and questioning looks. She tried to avoid their eyes, and instead, leaned against the wall, looking at the floor.  
  
When her daughter entered the room and settled herself, Washuu stood up and cleared her throat.  
  
"I have some very grave news regarding Kyoko. She has a major problem," the genius began.  
  
"Is she all right?" Sasami asked, alarmed.  
  
"No, Sasami-chan, I'm afraid she isn't."  
  
This caused a stir among the group. She wasn't okay? What was going on? Everyone wanted to know. The only people not participated in the stir were Ryoko and Washuu.  
  
"Washuu, what's wrong with her?" Ryoko asked, genuinely worried.  
  
Her mother looked at her sadly through green eyes, and Ryoko knew it was something life threatening.  
  
"Everyone, please. Settle down," Washuu said above the hubbub. Everyone quieted down, and Tenchi walked over to Ryoko. He wanted to be next to her in case it was too terrible. Silently, still looking at the floor, the oni took his hand in hers and squeezed it, scared of what she was soon to hear. "The problem deals with Kyoko's sanity. She has been slowly losing control of her mind. There are times, like tonight, when she does things or says things, and doesn't even know she's doing it, and it's causing her to lose her sanity. She is having troubles thinking straight, and it's scaring her to death. That is why she has been edgy and has been in my lab a lot. I have been doing my best to find a rational explanation for this, but I cannot. There is a reason, I know this much, but what it is, I can't say."  
  
Once again, the noise broke out among the group. Tenchi felt Ryoko slide down the wall to the floor, all anger turned to sadness and fear. Kyoko really hadn't known she was fighting. What WAS happening here?  
  
Nothing right, that's for damn sure, Tenchi thought to himself.  
  
"Tell me it's not life threatening, Washuu-chan!" Kiyone said.  
  
"It can be. Kyoko is trying her hardest to gain control again..." Washuu said, taking a deep breath, "...but what she doesn't know is neither she nor I can do something about it until we know why it's happening."  
  
*I'm so sorry, Little Ryoko, * the genius told her daughter telepathically.  
  
  
  
Upstairs in her room, Kyoko was in tears in front of the open window. In her hand she was holding the two red round things she had picked up from the floor a few nights before. Ryoko's gems. The original ones. How she got a hold of them, she didn't know. All she knew was her life, her once perfect life, was now absolutely screwed. Nothing was going right anymore.  
  
She had heard Washuu downstairs telling everyone her secret. God, how she longed for the scientist to find a way for her out of this mess. She tried and tried to keep control, but it was no use. The harder she tried to keep it, the more she lost it.  
  
Standing up on the windowsill, the hurting pirate wiped her puffy red eyes…and jumped. 


	10. The Passage of Time

1 November  
Dear Diary,  
It has been five months since my outbreak with Ryoko. Five months since Washuu and I found a solution to the problem at hand. The passage of time has been hard. At times, it's been almost unbearable. But I have lived. And, even better, Washuu said that I seem to be gaining control of myself! How great is that? I pray she is right.  
Ryoko's dreams are getting worse. She says she knows the person killing her, but she can't place them. I pray it's not me.  
Hmm, I pray. I've been doing that a lot lately. I have no religion at all, yet I still consult a higher being. Is that okay? Will He listen to me? Is "He" even there? Questions. I have so many any more. Why me? Why Ryoko? Why anyone?  
What's going on?  
Answers I want so terribly. I keep asking Washuu everyday if she's finished inventing everything we need. Every time the answer's the same.  
"No, Kyoko, I have not yet finished. Rome wasn't built in a day."  
Her and her Roman quotes. If Rome were built in a day, that would've been damn peachy for the Romans. But, no, it wasn't, and now Washuu annoys me with that saying. Of course, it's an even trade. She's annoyed at me for asking about her progress everyday. I just asked her that this morning, and she finally said, "Kyoko, I'll TELL you when I'm done." I think that's her nice way of saying, "Please shut up and stop pestering me!"  
So, now I wait. I wait for the day when the family genius finishes the entire gang's way out of hell. I can't wait any longer. Any day I could fully lose what little sanity I have left and try to bury a machete into Ryoko-san's chest.  
On that note, I'm out.  
~Kyoko  
  
Silently, Kyoko placed the medieval style quill in her little red diary and set it on the oak nightstand by her futon. She turned to look at the cloudy November night sky outside her open window. It used to be that writing in her diary would provide her with a sense of relief. It was like she was releasing her burden in the form of words to paper. But no more. Now, nothing could relieve her, and her heavy load of feelings began to show on her face.  
Her skin had become ghostly white, and she no longer had her sparkling seventeen-year-old eyes. No, she was always tired now, and she seemed to age five years every day. She stopped eating as much as she used to, and was down to one meager meal a day. She'd lost so much weight and had become so skinny. In fact, the only thing that remained the same was her two-tone hair and the scar. At least she kept her childish sense and sense of humor. But even that was beginning to slowly disappear.  
  
  
The broom closet door opened, and Washuu stepped out of her lab, the largest smile anyone had ever seen plastered on her face. She had been working all day and half the night, putting the finishing touches on her dimensional tuner, and she was finally finished. But that's not why she was smiling.  
She walked up the stairs, tall and proud, knowing full well that Kyoko was wide-awake. The pirate usually didn't get much sleep anymore, though she spent much of her time locked up in her room. When Washuu reached the final door in the hallway, she knocked three times before opening it a crack. Sticking her head in, she saw the red head looking out the window.  
Kyoko turned her tired eyes to see Washuu staring at her, grinning broadly, and she immediately knew why.  
"You're finished?" she asked, a smile spreading across her own face. It was the first time she had smiled in days.  
The genius scientist opened the door all the way and stepped into the room. Kyoko leaped off the bed and ran over to Washuu, locking her in a death embrace.  
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said hysterically. "You're the greatest, Washuu-chan!"  
The magenta hared girl nodded as best as she could, regardless of the fact that her head was trapped in a breathtaking grip (literally breathtaking). She was extremely relieved when Kyoko let go of her.  
"Follow me," Washuu ordered, and she led them to her lab.  
  
  
When the two reached the lab, Washuu tossed Kyoko a tiny plastic bottle. Kyoko caught it in her frail, pasty hands and looked at it questioningly.  
"Washuu, what…?" she began, but stopped when the genius raised her hand.  
"I will explain each object as I give them to you, but I will begin by telling you my plan," Washuu said, and Kyoko had the feeling she was going to be hearing a lot of lecturing tonight. "I have invented a pill that will erase the memories of everyone as far back as I want it to. So, I will erase their knowledge of your life. So, in other words, you will once again be dead to Ryoko, all right?"  
Kyoko nodded sadly. She had been feeling pretty much dead to the entire family lately, so it wouldn't be that big of a change.  
"However, the pill has one major drawback. The slightest thing could deactivate it, which is why we must change your identity. Totally. That little bottle in your hands is full of eye drops that will temporarily change your eye color. You must put them in every four hours, understand?"  
Once again, Kyoko nodded. She didn't like the idea of changing who she was, but as long as it saved everyone from her, she'd do it, no matter how ludicrous it was or how much she hated it.  
"All right, I have a few things that I will explain in a moment, but please go try those out. There's a room through that door right there you could use," Washuu said, pointing right behind the girl's shoulder. Kyoko turned around and found herself nose to metal with a tall, uninviting-looking door. She walked cautiously through it, and as soon as she closed it behind her, it disappeared.  
The space pirate was standing in a room of vast nothingness. Nothing behind her, nothing in front of her, nothing above or below her, nothing but emptiness. Like the shell of a once lively place, thrown into the ashes of despair. Much like Kyoko herself.  
Suddenly, a tall, two-story high screen appeared in front of her, allowing Washuu to look in.  
"Place three drops in each eye, and then look into the mirror that will replace this screen. Your eyes should turn acid green. Call me if they don't."  
Kyoko moved her head up and down in response, and the reflective lens of a mirror replaced the screen. Slowly, she walked up to it, and what she saw scared her. She really had become a shell of her former self. She looked like she had aged thirty years in just five months. She raised her hand to the glass, placing her fingertips to its cool surface. Her face looked so different, and she hated it. She had changed. She felt a surge of unforgiving hatred to the force causing her to lose sight of who she was. Or, at least, who she used to be. Then, remembering why she was there, she raised the liquid filled bottle to her face and unscrewed the top. Carefully, she placed three drops in each eye and looked to the mirror.  
Her eyes, like magic, faded slowly from the deep purple that they naturally were to, as Washuu had said, a venomous, acid green. Her new eye color gave her once dead-looking eyes back a faint glimmer of the sparkle that they once held.  
"Washuu?" she croaked, as though she hadn't used her voice in a long time.  
The screen reappeared, and Washuu smiled with satisfaction when she saw her invention had worked.  
"Excellent," the mad scientist said, more to herself than Kyoko. "Now, the microchip."  
A robotic arm came out of the darkness to the guinea pig's side, holding between two of it's claw-like fingers a needle containing a curious looking watery aquamarine substance and a small computer chip.  
"Oh, no, Washuu!" Kyoko said, backing away. "I don't do well with needles."  
"You will this one!"   
Before the red head could do anything, the computerized arm moved behind her neck and jabbed the sharp object through her skin and tissue, ejecting its contents.  
"SHIT!" she screamed, pulling away from the arm, rubbing just below her hairline.  
"This microchip will enable communication with me simply by speaking into midair," Washuu explained, ignoring the furious girl's death glare. "My voice will come to you through your mind, so it will sound like a voice inside your head."  
"I've had a few of those in my day," Kyoko mumbled, still rubbing her neck.  
"Say what?"  
"Nothing, Washuu-chan, please continue," she replied.  
"Now, as for your hair, we can die that totally black. And you will have to think of a new name. I think that's all."  
"What of my scar?" Kyoko questioned, running her fingers over the left side of her face and neck.  
"I figured we could leave that. The Kyoko Ryoko will know after the pill will never have had that scar."  
"Is that all?"  
Washuu's image nodded, and Kyoko smiled to herself.  
"So heaven has chosen my heart to be free, and control of this moment has been given to me," she whispered. "There is a way out. Thank you, Washuu."  
The genius smiled. The Kyoko everyone once knew and loved was coming out, and now there was a solution to everything, even Ryoko's dreams. Things were beginning to look up for the Masaki family.  
~*~  
Morning dawned cold and gray, but that didn't stop Ryoko's good mood. She opened her eyes to the still life around her, and she moved closer to Tenchi, who was still sound asleep beside her.  
The cyan beauty couldn't explain the sudden increase in her positive attitude. All she knew was something that was wrong before was going to change. Something that had brought everyone down was going to die, and what should be in its place was going to show its face for the first time in a long time. She was going to try to perk up her friend again. And though all her previous attempts had failed, she knew she could do it.  
Unable to lie in bed any longer, Ryoko rose onto her elbows and scooted closer to her beloved's face. Leaning into his ear, she breathed his name softly and watched as his eyes fluttered open.  
Tenchi turned his face to see a pair of amber eyes staring at him. He smiled at their owner and reached his hand up to caress her cheek.  
"What a beautiful sight to wake up to," he told Ryoko, bringing her face in and kissing her forehead. She in return giggled madly, embracing him with her love. "'You gonna try Kyoko again?"  
She nodded happily in response, and he laughed. Ryoko felt it rumble through his muscular chest, and she lay her head down upon it. She loved to listen to his beating heart. It soothed her, which is why she had begun to sleep with him on occasion (NO, ALL YOU HENTAI MINDED PEOPLE, I DON'T MEAN SEX!). If she awoke from one of her dreams in the middle of the night, all she had to do was lay her head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat, and she'd fall right back to sleep. And he never minded. He actually enjoyed being by her side, especially at night. Her presence calmed his fears, and he loved to watch her sleep. She always looked so innocent, and he could never stop himself from running his fingers through her hair.  
He loved her hair, always so soft and gentle. When he woke up in the middle of the night and she was nuzzled against his neck, he'd bury his face among the cyan strands and enjoy its silky feeling and beautiful scent. There were just so many things he loved about her, all to precious to be formed by words. Just emotions and feelings. Feelings of lust for her body, and feelings of love for her. The happiness and contentment of being next to her, holding her, talking to her, and kissing her. All too powerful and beautiful to explain. No one else could comprehend the love they shared. Only they understood it, and they liked it that way.  
Ryoko began to rise from the bed, but Tenchi grabbed her arms and pulled her down, flipping so he was on top of her, straddling her waist, pinning her wrists to the mattress. The green and blue blanket his mother had given him fell from their bodies, and the successor began to tickle his love. She tried to wriggle free from his grasp, but was unsuccessful. She couldn't stop laughing.  
Finally, she managed to gasp out, "Stop!"  
Tenchi smiled maliciously, saying, "What's the magic word?"  
"Come on!" she squeaked as he ran his fingers playfully over her tickle spot right above her hip joint.  
"Sorry! Wrong answer! That's two words!" he teased.  
Ryoko tried everything she could think of, even the puppy dog eyes. And when that failed, she couldn't take it anymore. She had to surrender to him. "Fine! Fine! You win! Please?"  
"There you go!" he laughed, ceasing his tickling game.  
Ryoko continued to lie beneath Tenchi, trying to regain her breath. The tickling game had become tradition now. When Ryoko and Tenchi would wake up in the morning, and she would least expect it, he would pin her beneath himself, and tickle her until she admitted defeat, usually in the form of "Please".  
When the pirate had caught her breath, she gave Tenchi a wicked smile.  
"Next time, boy," was all she said before she teleported downstairs for breakfast.  
~*~  
"OOH! YOU ARE SUCH A DEMON!!!" Aeka screamed, outraged.  
"Um…yeeeaaah," Ryoko replied, nodding her head. "And you're a snotty little princess, it's just the way things work."  
The remainder of the family sat and watched the fight, totally frozen. Sasami, Mihoshi, and Tenchi had food halfway to their mouths, which were hanging wide open, ready to receive it. No one really knew how the fight had broken out, but it had something to do with Aeka's cooking. Ryoko had made an un-called for (and rather sly) comment about the princess's food, and Aeka had blown up. Seriously. There was a big bang that issued from under her hair, causing it to stand on end, and there was smoke coming out from her ears. Ryoko found it to be quite comical, and she teased her about it.  
"Man, Aeka, you sure get angry easily. I mean, wow. I've never seen an explosion so big. KABOOM!" With that, the savage pirate began to laugh hysterically, holding her sides and doubling over.  
"They will never change," Kiyone mumbled to Tenchi, who was cowering beside Ryoko.  
"God help us," he whispered back.  
"Um, excuse me," everyone's attention was drawn to a quiet voice behind them. There stood Kyoko, her clothes loose on her body, looking down to the ground. When she looked up, Washuu hoped no one would notice the faint tinge of green in her eyes. "May I join you?"  
The gangs' jaws fell through the floor. She wanted to join them? She hadn't eaten a meal with the family in almost a month and a half!  
Though surprised, Sasami immediately began to make her friend an extra large plate filled with noodles, fish, and a large bowl of meso soup. Kyoko gladly sat down by the little princess and accepted the food she offered her. And within five minutes, she had devoured the entire thing.  
"More?" Sasami asked, and slowly, the babble broke out once again around the table.  
  
  
As soon as breakfast was over, Washuu stood up and cleared her throat.  
"I have an announcement to make," she said. "I will be conducting another experiment, and I'm sending the entire family (with the exception of Lord Katsuhito and Nobuyuki) into an alter-dimension future Tokyo. It will be only for a few days, and it's for…*ahem*…scientific research. You will be leaving tomorrow."  
"Washuu! I have school tomorrow!" Tenchi protested.  
Washuu leaned over the table until her face was mere inches from his, and he could feel her hot breath against his skin. He knew he had made a mistake arguing with her. She said, "It's either that or I wring Mr. Winkie out. And, trust me, he won't like it."  
No one understood this except Tenchi, who went bright red and quickly agreed to be a part of the experiment.  
"Washuu, why do you need all of us?" Ryoko asked.  
"Well, the more the merrier. Besides, if you don't…" the scientist leaned over to her daughter's ear and whispered something. Ryoko's eyes widened when Washuu finished, and she began to turn the darkest crimson anyone had ever seen.  
"Damn it, Washuu," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and bringing her knees up, glaring at her mother.  
"I knew you'd see things my way," Washuu said, grinning evilly. "Now, I don't think there's anything else I need to tell you, except that before you leave, I will need to give you a pill. I will study the affects of the pill on your systems while you are in this dimension."  
"Why do we need to go to an alter dimension for this, Washuu-chan?" asked Kiyone, who was clearly not happy about this sudden family arrangement.  
"Don't ask questions, Kiyone. It's for science."  
"Washuu-chan?" Mihoshi chimed in her childish voice. Everyone looked at the blonde detective, eyebrow raised. "Who's Mr. Winkie?"  
The group stared at her. Mihoshi always had a way of making multiple peoples' trains of thought crash and burn at any particular point in time. She looked innocently at her audience, her head cocked to one side.  
Washuu, realizing her mouth was open, quickly shut it, shaking her head jerkily in attempt to board another train.  
"So, um, that's tomorrow, first thing, all right?"  
"Fine," Tenchi said reluctantly.  
Ryoko mumbled something incomprehensible, but it sounded something like "You touch me, you die, Washuu."  
Sasami nodded quickly, not wanting to give Washuu any reason to threaten her.  
Kiyone and Aeka agreed as well, scared of what might become of them if they argue.  
Mihoshi? Well, she just sat there, blabbing happily about what fun it would be to go to future Tokyo, and wondering if Mr. Winkie would be there. She truly had no idea what was going on. Nor did she have any idea what "Mr. Winkie" was.  
Maybe it's better this way, Washuu thought to herself.  
~*~  
A seventeen year old girl stood alone, staring out of a pair of shockingly green eyes to the tall, brick building about ten meters in front of her. It was uninviting, but her presence inside could not be avoided. The breeze played with the long, black hair that cascaded down her back and the sides of her face. Along the side of her ghostly pale neck and face ran a large, black scar shaped like fire.  
She shifted her large, brown briefcase from her left hand to her right hand and adjusted her plaid, knee length skirt and dark green vest. The red bow tied around her neck was choking her, so she loosened it, recalling the events of the day.  
  
  
Daybreak. Washuu's intent rapping on her door brought Kyoko out of her deep slumber.  
"Whuduyuwan?" she said groggily, refusing to open her eyes. Her bed felt so warm and soothing, like heaven, and she didn't want to leave it.  
Washuu stuck her head in the door, smiling broadly. "What did you say?" she asked, obviously in an annoyingly good mood.  
Kyoko groaned and sat up, looking as angry as she could at six in the morning. "I said, what do you want?"  
"Aaww, my dear space pirate, today is the day that you pay a visit to Tokyo," the genius said, making her tired guinea pig want to smack the smile off her face.  
"At this time of day?" Kyoko asked, covering her mouth as she yawned.  
"Well, we have a few last minute things to cover, you and I," Washuu chirped. "So, come on! Get up! Let's go!"  
Grumbling many incoherent statements (which Washuu was very glad she couldn't understand), the young redhead followed the little scientist down to the lab.  
When the two reached the lab, Washuu began briefing Kyoko on the day's plans, but Kyoko paid her no attention. She was more focused on getting her body and her mind to work on the same level. She had no coordination at this time of day.  
Washuu, on the other hand, continued to talk until she heard a large crash and a strangled cry come from behind her. She began to snicker as she turned around to find the space pirate tangled up in a mass of wires and invention failures. Apparently, she had tripped headfirst into the genius's junk pile. Shaking with inside laughter, Washuu walked over to Kyoko and offered her hand. Kyoko took it, and slowly stood, stumbling.  
"Not a morning person, are you?" the magenta hared girl asked.  
"It took you six months to figure this one out, Washuu?" was all Kyoko said.  
Still laughing, Washuu lead the unfocused woman deeper into the lab.  
  
  
"Has anyone seen Washuu?"  
Breakfast was soon to begin, and the Masaki family's table was, as usual, full of chattering people looking forward to another meal of Sasami's cooking.  
"Has anyone seen Washuu?" the little princess asked as she brought in the last dish (meso soup).  
"She's probably down in her lab, thinking about tests she can run on us without our knowing," Ryoko replied, being only half-sarcastic.  
"Well, Ryoko, if that's what you want, I'm sure I could come up with something," Washuu said, coming up behind her daughter.  
"Washuu-chan! There you are!" Sasami piped happily, setting down the pot she held. Then she noticed someone else was missing. "Where's Kyoko?"  
For the first time in a long time, Washuu was stuck as to what to say. She had to do some fast thinking because everyone was staring at her. But they didn't call her the greatest scientific genius in the universe for nothing. When someone asked her a question, she always had an answer. Now she just had to think of one.  
"Kyoko is…um…she's…er…" the pink hared girl began, her mind spinning. She heard an almost silent cough come from behind her, and she smiled. "….sick. I've been tending to her, but I don't think she'll be up to going on my little 'scientific adventure'." Washuu's face gave off a look of fake sadness, yet on the inside, she was thankful to the one who gave off the cough.  
Completely out of the room, Kyoko stood on the stairs, listening to Washuu's explanation. She had given off the false cough, hoping the scientist would catch on to her idea, and it had obviously worked. She batted her now totally black hair out of her bright green eyes and crept silently up the stairs, but when she heard Ryoko she stopped.  
"Hey Washuu," the summoner said, giving a forced look of nausea, "I think I'm getting sick, too."  
"Aww, my dear widdle gurl is getting sick? Let me see." Washuu leaned over to Ryoko and looked into her eyes. She grabbed the pirate by the ear and brought her face into the table. "Nice try, Ryoko, but you're still going."  
"Damn!" Ryoko said, rubbing her nose where it collided with the wood.  
Snickering, Kyoko continued up to her room where she would hide out until it was time for her to go.  
~*~  
Kyoko stood in front of the school reflecting on the events of the morning. She couldn't help but laugh again at the memory of that moment when Ryoko's mother slammed her face into the table.  
The annoying and loud tone of the bell signaling the beginning of the school day brought the pirate out of her thoughts back to what she now called reality. In this reality, she was no longer a once thought dead space pirate. No, here she was nothing more than a black hared, green-eyed schoolgirl who was new to her surroundings. Shifting her plaid skirt once again, Kyoko walked through the large oak doors leading into the main hallway. The commotion increased as many students swarmed their lockers in attempt to get to class on time.  
Kyoko tried to avoid drawing attention to herself, but she proved to be unsuccessful. Everyone seemed to know she was the new girl in school. Of course, one thing that helped give her away was the fact no one had ever seen a girl so pale with such a large and noticeable scar on her face. Murmurs followed the girl wherever she went, and Kyoko really wished they wouldn't. She tried to keep her eyes down and find her way around. Instead, she wound up walking headlong into someone. She fell to the ground while she heard the other person slam into the lockers.  
"I'm sorry," Kyoko said quietly. When she looked up to see who she had run into, she was horrified.  
Ryoko was standing above her rubbing the back of her head. She seemed to have acquired a sense of shock when she had hit the metal doors. She was staring at her old partner through furious eyes. She didn't recognize Kyoko at all. Though this was good, Kyoko couldn't help but feel sad.  
"Watch where you're going!" the summoner sneered.  
Everyone in the hall stopped what he or she was doing to look at the two. To them, the new girl was in deep shit. Ryoko was the school's juvenile delinquent, and she had a major attitude. Messing with her was the equivalent of a death wish. Her only known weakness was a certain black hared, brown-eyed young man who also attended the school. Only he could control her.  
"I'm really sorry, I didn't…" Kyoko began, but Ryoko cut her off.  
"You're new here, aren't you?" she asked, offering her hand (much to everyone's surprise).  
Taking it, Kyoko allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.  
"What's your name, girl?" the oni pressured. This took the pirate off guard. She had a name chosen, but now she couldn't remember it. Inside her head she could hear Washuu saying "Smooth, Kyoko-san. Very smooth." This didn't help much.  
"I…uh…" Kyoko stuttered, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She was relieved when the next bell signaling the beginning of class went off, and the crowd that had gathered disappeared into their first classes.  
"Well?" Ryoko said impatiently.  
Kyoko just stared at the ground until a sharp, piercing voice echoed down the hallway.  
"Miss Ryoko! How many times must I tell you to be in class on time?"  
A short, squat woman in her mid forties appeared beside the two girls. She looked like she had lost her metabolism early and didn't realize it until after she had devoured the entire bakery. Her thick, brown hair was pulled back into an almost skin-ripping tight bun, and her eyes were small, watery, and emotionless. She shooed Ryoko off to her class and turned to Kyoko.  
"So, you're the new girl, eh?" she asked, not giving the girl a chance to answer. "I've been looking for you. Follow me."  
And with that, the two marched down the hall after Ryoko to the very last room.  
"Could I get your name?" the teacher asked before she opened the door.  
"Uhhh…" Kyoko mumbled. She tried to remember, but couldn't. So, she took the alternative route. She thought of the very last book that she had read, Shizuko's Daughter. "Okuda."  
"Okuda? Okuda what?"  
The pirate was trying to think of a first name when a voice echoed inside her brain.  
"It was Ayanami! That was Ayanami's A.T. Field!" Washuu screamed. She seemed to be watching Kyoko's Evangelion movies again. But, for once, Kyoko wasn't angry at the moment. In fact, she secretly thanked the genius. This had to be one of those situations people in stupid American television shows experienced.  
"Okuda Rei."  
"Well, Miss Okuda, my name is Karamorita Mariko. Are you ready to meet the class?"  
"Yes, Miss Karamorita."  
"Sensei," she corrected. "I'm your teacher."  
The portly woman opened the door to reveal a very noisy and out of control class. At least, that's how it first appeared. But when Kyoko got a better look at the inside, she saw that the entire class was huddled in the corner, and electricity was bouncing from ceiling to floor and everywhere in between. In the center of the room, standing on two different desks, two girls stood shouting very rude and obscene remarks at each other (in which the author has so evilly deleted. Hey, little kids might be reading this!).  
Kyoko began to laugh when she realized it was Ryoko and Aeka, but she immediately stopped when the teacher glared at her.  
"Hakubi! Jurai!" Mariko boomed, telling the girls they were rolling in a load of crap. The two quarreling females stopped shouting (and electrocuting everyone and everything in sight), and slowly turned their heads to face their teacher. "What is going on?"  
"Sensei, Miss Ryoko said some rather offensive comments (which I shall not repeat!) and I…" Aeka was cut off by the fuming leader.  
"You continued the fight! I would expect actions like this from Hakubi ("Why must I go by Washuu's name?"), but never from our student body chairman! Now sit down, all of you!"  
As the class sat down, they could catch various comments coming from their teacher. Comments such as, "You are seniors in high school, not grade schoolers!" and "Never in my life…!"  
Memo to me, Kyoko thought, beware of Karamorita Mariko!  
When the class was settled, Kyoko began to feel the heat rise in her face again as all eyes turned to her. She once again attempted to avoid their eyes, but did not look down. The last thing she needed was to show more weakness than she already had.  
"We have a new student today," Mariko said, an edge remaining in her voice. "Her name is Okuda Rei."  
Kyoko gave a small bow.  
"Rei, you may take a seat next to Miss Hakubi."  
This got a rise out of the class. Many of the guys began to snicker as the girl walked to the back of the room and took the seat between Ryoko and the window. The delinquent glanced sideways at her old friend and scowled.  
"What's with the black make up?" she asked.  
Out of habit, Kyoko's hand reached up to her face and along the mark.  
"It's a scar," she said simply, not really wanting to discuss the topic at that point in time.  
"A scar?" Ryoko whistled in amazement. "Damn, how'd you get it?"  
"My best friend blew up a building while I was inside," the one now known as Rei growled.  
"Say what?"  
Kyoko jerked her head and looked at Ryoko's face. She had started to lose it again. That hadn't happened for a couple of days. "I said I was caught in a fire."  
"Ooh, that sucks."  
The black hared girl was about to reply, but her teacher spoke first.  
"Okuda? Hakubi? Do you have something to add to our discussion?" she snapped.  
"No, Karamorita-Sensei," Kyoko replied.  
Ryoko just snorted. "Why would I want to?"  
The two girls turned their eyes to the front of the room, but neither paid any attention to the lecture on physics that was boring the rest of the class into stupor. Ryoko seemed to go into a trance, so Kyoko had nothing better to do than stare out the window.  
Her view was of the courtyard, its lush green grass dying slowly, and the leaves of the trees being pulled away by the breeze. There were at least five wooden benches, all wet and decaying from the rain of the previous night. The clouds above were large and puffy, telling of another shower in the near future.  
Kyoko's green eyes focused on the reflection of the blackboard in the front of the room. Though the writing was small, she still was able to make some of it out. In the center there were some notes to take down, in the upper right hand corner there was the assignment due for tomorrow, and right above that was the date.  
On a usual basis, the date meant nothing to the girl, but for some reason it caught her off guard this time. It read November 5.  
"Washuu, I thought I left on the second!" Kyoko asked silently, so she wouldn't look too stupid talking to herself.  
"Oh, I was hoping you wouldn't notice that," Washuu said.  
"So, why have three days passed in one morning?"  
"I accidentally made a typo and I couldn't reverse it in time. Sorry."  
Rei just shook her head. She wasn't mad, no matter what impression she gave off. She actually found it funny, but she wasn't in the mood for humor. She had begun to develop a headache that throbbed in her temples, and she didn't know why.  
Covering her eyes with her hand, the pirate tried to overcome the pain. Her teachers blabbing didn't help much.  
"Hey, Okuda?" Ryoko whispered. "Something wrong with your head?"  
Kyoko ignored her, forgetting she no longer went by her real name.  
"Okuda! Hey! Earth to Rei!"  
"Kyoko!"  
"What?!" Kyoko screamed, startled.  
The entire class, including Mariko, looked at the newcomer, shocked.  
"Miss Okuda," the teacher said sternly. She was on the verge of exploding. "You may believe that because it's your first day you can do whatever you want and you won't get in trouble! Well, let me tell you," she began to make her way over to Rei, who looked at the top of her desk, "you are no exception to the rules. We don't need anymore troublemakers in my classroom, one is enough!" Mariko was mere inches from her student's face, breathing heavily on her skin. "And believe you me, I am not a person to cross, do you understand me?"  
Kyoko mouthed incoherently.  
"What was that?"  
"I said I would appreciate it if you wouldn't get so close, your breath stinks."  
Two girls and three guys around in front of her burst out in uncontrollable snickers. Aeka looked at Kyoko through un-approving eyes.  
"May I recommend Altoids?" she continued. This just sent even more people into fits of laughter.  
"Oh, a class clown, are we? I'd like to see you after school, Rei."  
Great, fifteen minutes into my first day and I'm already in trouble, Kyoko thought. Oh well, I guess I deserved that one.  
"Just can't stay out of trouble, can you Kyoko?" Washuu's voice cackled.  
"Shut up, Washuu."  
~*~  
Karamorita's classes turned out to be "let's all sit and drool in stupor" hours, and even Aeka, yes, respectable chairman (and the first person on Ryoko's hit list) Aeka had trouble staying awake. Kyoko swore that when she looked over at her, she was dead asleep (and obviously dreaming, considering she kept twitching. But, maybe that had something to do with the boy behind her who was continuously poking her in the back with his pencil.). But when the teacher passed her desk, she lifted her head and acted like she was listening. That is, until the teacher passed. Then, she just fell right back to sleep.  
In fact, the only person who seemed to be paying attention and taking notes was…Ryoko?  
Tenchi, who sat right in front of Ryoko, heard the sound of lead against paper, and turned around in disbelief.  
"There's no way you could be taki…oh," his face faltered when he looked at her paper. "I think the rope is a little too big for Aeka's neck, don't you?" His voice was full of disgust. Apparently she was drawing a picture of the princess hanging by her neck from a rope.  
After what seemed like hours unending, the bell signaling lunch sounded, and the entire class scrambled out into the hallway to get their lunches. Those who had them moved around the room to where they usually sat.  
Ryoko, Aeka, and Tenchi gathered in the farthest corner and took out the lunches Sasami had made for them that morning.  
"Okay, girls, can we get along today, please?" Tenchi asked, taking a large bite out of a rice cake.  
"Oh, come on!" Ryoko giggled, punching the boy playfully on the arm. "Don't you like it when the classroom catches on fire?"  
"And who's the one who always starts the fire, MISS Ryoko?" Aeka spat. "I will not let you accuse me of such obscene actions!"  
"I never accused you of anything, Oh Honorable Prissy Princess!"  
"Stop!" Tenchi intervened. "We've had this conversation everyday that we've been here!"  
"Exactly! Which is how I knew that DEMON would accuse me!" The purple hared princess was bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet as she screeched words that wouldn't even reach her rival's brain. Her hands were balled up into fists, and her eyes were narrowed dangerously. She had a furious glow about her that made it seem as though anything she stared at would explode. So, naturally, she was staring at the cyan summoner.  
"Stop it," Tenchi mumbled.  
"Admit it, you were going to accuse me! You were going to blame the…"  
"Oh, and since when did you become a psychic?" Ryoko yelled.  
By now the entire class was watching. This had become an hour of, food, entertainment, and electrocution for them ever since the two feuding girls had joined their class. Hell, they even had a traditional class poll going around ("Who Will Win Today? The choices are as follows: Jurai Aeka the Student Body Chairman, Hakubi Ryoko the Juvenile Delinquent, Masaki Tenchi the poor guy stuck in the middle, or Karamorita Mariko the seriously pissed off teacher. So far, most people believe it will be Mariko.)  
"Ohhh! I can't stand you!"  
"And you think that I have good records with you? Ha!"  
Both girls were standing as tall as they could, trying to stare down the other. Aeka's logs appeared as she tensed up with anger. Seeing the wooden defense, Ryoko called forth her sword (making its production as showy as possible). The class watched in awe and fear. It was getting to their favorite part: combat. In unison, the teens stood up and sat behind their chairs. All but Rei, that is. She seemed to be asleep, but no one dared to leave the protection of behind his or her seats to wake her up.  
"Settle down, both of you!" Tenchi ordered. He was pissed now. They were making a huge scene, and they hadn't even noticed everyone else knew what was coming.  
"STOP IT!"  
Every glass object, even down to the light bulbs, exploded and shards sliced through the air until they found a place to land. Some collided with the wall; some found their target in students. The temperature fell to an incredibly cold point, and the room was thrown into total darkness. All light seemed to be filtered out.  
Girls screamed, guys looked frantically around for the cause, Ryoko called out "What the hell?", and the entire class became overwhelmed by panic.  
Suddenly, Aeka screamed out, "Oh my God, look!" and everyone's attention was drawn to a pair of burning red infernos. Eyes. They hovered above the ground as their owner stood amidst the blackness and terror.  
"Dammit!" Ryoko hissed, grabbing her head and stumbling sideways into Tenchi. He held her shoulders her and helped her to the ground, taking notice that her gem was glowing a deep and bloody crimson.  
"Your gem!" he whispered.  
"I know, and I'm not doing it!" The pirate's eyes were clenched shut as she tried to overcome the feeling she had that she was no longer in control.  
Tenchi was about to question what was wrong, but the door to the classroom crashed against the wall as it was thrown open, and Karamorita's short, squat, yet powerful figure stood in the center of it. Light flooded into the room from the hallway and outside as the filtering darkness quickly faded. The two hating eyes disappeared, and a pair of greenish-purple eyes replaced them.  
Kyoko stood in the center, not knowing why the room looked like a disaster area. But when she noticed everyone staring at her in horror, she knew she had lost control again. But how could that be? All she knew was she had fallen asleep. She didn't even hear the bell. What happened?  
"I…I…I'm sorry," she mumbled, fearing her own presence. And with that, she darted out the room, almost knocking over her teacher in her rush.  
The class just watched her retreating back; all eyes triple their normal size.  
"I guess," a small voice came from a frightened girl huddled in the corner, tending to the glass in her side, "that Rei won."  
  
~Notes from Minagi~  
Hey all, I'm back after an extremely long break. Summer vacation is halfway over (;-;) *Tear* Oh well, my goal is to have this story finished by the first day of school.  
Well, on to more *Ahem!* pressing matters, I have come to the conclusion that I am a helpless romantic. This story was supposed to be Action/Adventure with Romance as the Secondary theme, not the other way around! Waaah! Someone tell me I haven't gone over the edge, back, and over again! Tell me there is still hope for this cause (even if you have to lie, I'd be too stupid to notice the difference)!  
Regardless of the fact that this chapter took forever and I need serious help (anyone know a psychiatrist? My last one jumped out the window last Tuesday during our session. I still haven't figured out why.), I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was fun to write, and I hope it was just as much fun to read. Please review, your feedback is always welcome! Well, not always, but I have yet to see a comment that was unwelcome, so…yeah…I'm blabbing again, so I'm gonna shut up now, kay? Hey, you weren't supposed to applaud at that. Yes, I know who you are, and you know whom you are, so stop.  
Well, I think that's all I wanted to say, so I'll see ya'll next chapter, and hopefully I won't be so annoying. Ja ne! (^-^)"/"  
  
PS. Don't worry all you Nagi fans, I haven't forgotten about her! That fight was more than just an excuse to put her in.  
PPS. Is anyone else's story being killed? I can't fix it, so now it looks like crap! I'm SO SORRY! 


	11. Premonitions

There was fear. And confusion. Confusion unlike anyone had ever known. It spread from student to student as the new girl ran out of the room; embarrassed at the havoc she had just caused. Students who had been hit by flying glass had forgotten about their wounds, and those who had managed to avoid it had forgotten it hit anyone. But all were questioning what had happened.  
  
It began that Ryoko, Aeka, and Tenchi had begun their daily fight, and the whole class had begun their usual routine to avoid the damages. They had the daily poll going on who would win today, and their teacher, Karamorita Mariko, was voted most likely to win. Then, the entire room was thrown into a filtering darkness and glass from the windows and lights exploded. And the newest member of the school, Okuda Rei, caused all this. What was going on? After the whole ordeal, Rei acted like she didn't know what happened! Something was totally wrong!  
  
Ryoko stood, watching the door of the room, even though the one who had run out was beyond her range of vision.  
  
Tenchi, noticing his girlfriend staring, waved his hand vigorously in front of her face. She jerked her attention to him, and he gave her a confused look.  
  
"Are you all right?" He asked, referring to the effect Rei had on her.  
  
"I'm fine," she replied flatly, then she turned her eyes back to the doorway, a deep wrinkle of thought in her forehead. She stood for sometime, watching something that wasn't there. Suddenly, she dashed out of the room in hot pursuit of the new girl.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi yelled, and he followed her.  
  
"Tenchi-kun!" Aeka screamed. She ran after the prince, but stopped suddenly as she reached the doorway and bowed to her teacher, muttering her apologies. Then, she continued on her way.  
  
Ryoko reached the outside and shielded her head from the rain that had started to pour. After a quick glance, she picked up her right foot and prepared to run blindly ahead, but stopped when she felt Tenchi's firm grip on her wrist.  
  
Tenchi spun the demon around to face him and brushed her sopping hair out of her eyes.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely worried for her.  
  
"Tenchi, let me go!" she screamed above the loud rumble of thunder that echoed across the sky.  
  
"Ryoko, what's wrong? What was that about?" Aeka asked, coming up behind Tenchi and gasping for breath.  
  
"I want answers!" Ryoko said. With that, she wrenched her hand out of Tenchi's grasp and teleported into the sky, in search of the raven hared female.  
  
The oni squinted her eyes through the downpour. Up ahead, she saw a flicker of green and black, and knew it was Okuda. Quickly, she flew in the direction of the flicker and landed in front of Rei.  
  
  
  
"Rei, what just happened?" Ryoko screamed, her voice colder than she really wanted it to be.  
  
Kyoko looked up into her friend's face, and even more fear spread to her mind. She tried to go around the cyan-hared beauty, but Ryoko stepped in front of her again, blocking her way out.  
  
"What do you want, Ryoko?" she choked out, tears blending with the rain on her face.  
  
"Don't give me that bull, you know what I want!" she replied. "What happened back in the classroom?"  
  
"I don't know, all right! Let me go!" The scared pirate didn't want to be anywhere near anyone, especially Ryoko, in fear she'd cause something else to happen.  
  
Lightning flashed across the sky, and Kyoko covered her eyes, which had begun to turn back to their original violet color.  
  
Ryoko took advantage of the girl's temporary blindness and struck out, knocking her to the ground and rendering her unconscious. Crouching down, she picked up her old friend, cradling in her arms. She knew that as long as Rei was in a panic, she would never get anything out of her. She needed rest, and Ryoko gave it to her. It was violent, but Ryoko hoped it would help.  
  
Slowly, she stood up as Tenchi and Aeka came into view.  
  
"Ryoko, what did you do to her?" Tenchi asked disapprovingly.  
  
"Here, hold her," Ryoko ordered, relieved that he had come along. She carefully passed Kyoko's limp form to him. "We need to get her back to the apartment! Please trust me!"  
  
"What..." Aeka gasped, praying her legs didn't give out from underneath her. She hadn't run this much since she was a child. She shook her now matted hair from her face, but it just fell right back. "What did you do to her, Ryoko?"  
  
"I had no choice! Have you ever tried to talk to a person who was in a panic?" The summoner reached out and placed one hand on the princess's shoulder (Aeka shivered, startled at Ryoko's sudden movement) and the other hand on Tenchi's. In a split second, all four were standing in a tiny kitchen in their apartment.  
  
Sasami, who was working fluently on that nights supper, jumped when she turned to face four, sopping wet teenagers who had appeared out of nowhere in her workspace (one of which was unconscious).  
  
"What are you guys doing home?" she asked, trying to slow down her speeding heart. "You scared me to…what happened?"  
  
Tenchi shifted the girl in his arms, who had begun to feel like a ton of bricks a bag. "Ryoko, that's what happened."  
  
Sasami glared disapprovingly at her friend. "Ryoko-san..."  
  
"Traitor," Ryoko mumbled, narrowing her eyes playfully at the successor. Tenchi poked out his tongue tauntingly.  
  
"Kids," Aeka growled, shaking her head. Her sister giggled at her comment then marched Tenchi to the nearest bedroom so he could lay Kyoko down.  
  
~*~  
  
Kyoko slowly opened her eyes to the world around her, and found herself in a strange room, in a strange bed, with the worst headache she had ever had. It was even worse than her last hangover, and that's really saying something!  
  
"Ah, great!" Sasami said enthusiastically. "You're awake!" She placed the damp, off white washcloth back into the glass bowl beside her and got up, stretching her stiff and sore muscles and allowing her right knee to pop loudly.  
  
"Whuhappened?" Kyoko tried to speak, but all her words slurred together, and try as hard as she might, she couldn't get out of bed. The skirt she had worn to school that day was uncomfortably wet, therefore soaking the brilliant blue cotton sheets she lay beneath. Her vest and thin white shirt were also wet, and they stuck to her body like glue.  
  
"Don't try to get up," the little princess ordered, laying her hand on the girl's rising shoulder. "You are in no shape."  
  
"Whathappened?" the pirate asked again, enunciating as best as she could. Her headache didn't make anything any better, so her words still ran together.  
  
"Ryoko hit you upside the head and knocked you out," Sasami replied, wrinkling her nose in disgust.  
  
Rei didn't say anything, just reached her quivering hand to her forehead, groaning in distress.  
  
Sasami giggled quietly. "I agree, Kyoko-san! Ryoko can hit very well!"  
  
"Try being on the..." Kyoko trailed off, then looked at her little caretaker. No, looked is an understatement. She was glaring at her, sending chills down the girl's spine. "What did you just say?"  
  
"I-I-I s-said that Ry-Ryoko coul-d h-h-it-t very well," Sasami stuttered in fear. The look she was receiving was causing her to shake and cower where she stood. It was like hell on ice, death resurrected…Ryoko resurrected (and we know how well that went over…he he he he)…  
  
"I know, before that," Kyoko hissed, not letting her look of fury settle down. She knew what had been said, and it angered her.  
  
Sasami gulped in terror. She had never seen such a look before from anyone. Not even during Ryoko and Aeka's fights. "I s-said-d I ag-g-gree..." Then, her eyes shot open, and she was no longer scared. She understood what she had let slip. "Kyoko-san," she whispered.  
  
The raven hared woman's face shifted into a flat look as she nodded. "How do you know, Sasami-chan?"  
  
"Washuu told me everything!" the Jurain princess blurted out. "She said we'd have a better chance at solving this problem if there were two people working together on it!"  
  
"Is that so, Washuu?" Okuda asked into thin air. In her mind, she heard a snort as the genius woke up. "Washuu, why didn't you tell me you told Sasami about this?"  
  
"Huh? What?" Washuu stammered over her link with Kyoko.  
  
"I asked you why you didn't tell me you got Sasami involved in this?!" the pirate asked coldly, hating to have to repeat herself again.  
  
"Oh...you weren't supposed to know that. Hang on a sec."  
  
  
Rei sat in silence, waiting for Washuu to return. Suddenly, Sasami began to speak into the silence. Apparently, she also had a microchip link with the scientist.  
  
After holding her own personal conversation with the goddess-gone-human, the pigtailed girl raised her puppy dog-like eyes nervously to her friend.  
  
"You're...you're not mad at me, are you Kyoko-san?"  
  
Kyoko couldn't help but chuckle at the little one's innocence. "No, Sasami-chan, what gave you that idea?"  
  
A deep crease found it's way to Sasami's forehead. "You looked at me like you wanted to slaughter me!"  
  
The pirate's chuckles became full-fledged laughs. "I was never mad at you! I thought I messed up already, and had broken the block from the pill!"  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"I was mad at myself," Kyoko clarified.  
  
Sasami's head rose in understanding.  
  
"So, ya hungry?" she asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Famished!"  
  
"Good!" she squeaked. Then turning to the door, the little Jurain chirped, "I'll get you when dinner's ready! You need rest!" Then, she silently bounced out of her room.  
  
Kyoko rose to her elbows, staring out the glass of the window to the storm outside. But she wasn't really paying any attention. Though her head throbbed, she began to think again about something that had been one her mind for a couple of days.  
  
Her fighting skills were as good as they had ever been, and she was in top shape almost six months ago. So why...?  
  
"Washuu?" she called uncertainly, almost certain she would be ignored. But when she heard a grunt telling her the genius was listening, she was rather surprised. She sighed a little in relief and continued. "Do you remember a couple weeks after I came along, who paid us a visit?"  
  
"Sure, Nagi. Why?"  
  
"Well, did she act a bit odd to you?" Kyoko waited patiently for an answer, but when none came, she spoke again. "I mean, I know it's not like her to take advantage of those who aren't in top shape (especially the wounded), but both Ryoko and I were in top shape, yet she was quick to leave as soon as she found out I was alive…"  
  
"You've been thinking about this an awful lot, haven't you?" Washuu interrupted.  
  
"Sadly, yes," the woman joked. "Well, I guess this sounds weird, but maybe...do you think she could have somehow known that something was wrong, and left because she didn't want to get herself mixed up in it?"  
  
"I hate to admit this, but your guess is as good as mine, Kyoko-san."  
  
"Yeah..." Rei whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "Damn her."  
  
~*~  
  
It was November ninth; four days after Operation "Send the Entire Family into Future Tokyo with no Freaking Clue as to Why" had been launched, and sadly, had backfired. Kyoko was once again living in the same place as the rest, which was NOT supposed to happen. But, it had, none the less, and the pirate was forced to deal with it. Besides, she still got the chance to enjoy Sasami's cooking, and that was always a positive. And that's exactly what she, and the rest of the family at that, was doing.  
  
"Mmm-mmm!" Mihoshi said, smacking her lips. "This is so scrummy, Sasami-chan!"  
  
Sasami giggled like the little girl she was, thanking the GP officer.  
  
"I have to agree with the blonde one, Sasami!" Ryoko said, wiping her mouth against the blue and green of her sleeve. Then, she bent over and grabbed one of her chopsticks, the smaller end to her plate and pulling back the larger end behind a small piece of fish that she had been saving. Then, she straightened her back and gave a quick glance at her boyfriend, who was chatting happily with Kiyone and Rei. Seeing he was busy, the pirate let go of the larger end of her utensil, sending the chunk of food flying across the table and into Aeka's hair.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL?!" she screamed, sounding more like her rival than herself and causing everyone to stare at her. Something had just hit her in the head and stuck, pulling her out of thought. She began clawing at her head frantically, failing to notice Ryoko's face puff up as she tried to control her laughter.  
  
When the first crown princess found the fish and pulled it from her violet strands, Ryoko could no longer stop herself. She burst out in savage laughter and fell back onto the floor.  
  
"RYOKO!!!!" Aeka screamed, squishing the meat against her palm as her hand balled up into a fist. "How…dare…you!"  
  
Ryoko didn't say anything, she just continued to laugh hysterically.  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi said, bringing her joke to an end with his angry tone. "Why did you do that?"  
  
The cyan summoner rose off her back and looked down at the ground between her crossed legs, ashamed. She hated it when he was angry with her. "I'm sorry, Tenchi," she said, ashamed.  
  
"Aeka, please sit down!" the prince gently ordered.  
  
Aeka looked from her only love to the prankster and back. She wanted to start a fight, but knew the lord wouldn't be too happy with her. So, instead, she did as she was told. And soon, the babble slowly rose again.  
  
"Ryoko-san!"  
  
Ryoko looked to the side and saw Okuda peeking her head around Tenchi's back. She raised her eyebrow to acknowledge that she was listening.  
  
"That was beautiful!" the girl mouthed, receiving a smirk in response.  
  
"It was, wasn't it?" Ryoko whispered, causing Rei to giggle silently.  
  
Tenchi took notice of this and followed her gaze to the demon, who had quickly turned her gaze to the first thing that caught her eye (Ryo-ohki). Not knowing what was going on, he shook his head and turned back to his food, but wound up doing a double take as his vision detected something he had never noticed before.  
  
He reached up and brushed her sideburn out of the way so he could get a better look at it. She jumped and gasped in surprise, looking at him curiously.  
  
"No, no," he cooed softly, catching Aeka's attention.   
  
She looked up, and a jolt of pain stabbed her heart at the gentleness of his touch. How she longed for him to touch her like that. But all she could remember was his comforting arms around her waist when he hugged her for the very last time, six months ago.  
  
"Turn back."  
  
Visibly reluctant, Ryoko followed his words and allowed him to inspect what had caught his attention.  
  
The skin on a small portion of her face was paler than the rest, and it was slightly wrinkled. He had never noticed it before because her hair had covered it perfectly.  
  
"Is that a scar?" Tenchi asked.  
  
Ryoko wasn't caught off guard, she knew exactly what he had been examining, but she really didn't feel like talking about it.  
  
"It's nothing," she said, waving his hand away.  
  
"Ryoko-san, how'd you get it?" he insisted.  
  
"Tenchi, do you remember what happened last time you tried to persuade me to talk about my past?" the pirate questioned, raising her right hand, showing off the scar in her palm.  
  
Catching on to her unwillingness to talk, Tenchi dropped into silence...  
  
...And Kyoko turned back to the conversation she had left to listen.  
  
~*~  
  
November cold. Bittersweet wind. It nipped at Ryoko's bare legs as green and blue dress floated smoothly with the soft updrafts, like a bird glides on its wings. But the cold didn't really bother her. It never did. She seemed to have a strange immunity to it. Even still, she shivered as it kissed her skin.  
  
The pirate stood on the balcony of the new Masaki apartment, looking to the moon. Sounds of the streets below drifted to her ears, but she paid them no attention. She didn't even care how far into the future her mother had sent them (but she found it strange that Tokyo had street names). At the time, all she cared about was that moon.  
  
In the city, the satellite wasn't pearly white and silvery blue. Here, it was nothing more than a yellow orb, reflecting the lights of the many buildings and streets below it. And Ryoko hated it, though, she never was much of a city girl. She found it to be too cramped, and there was too much life. No stars, no freedom, no escape. She missed space.  
  
The sound of a sliding glass door opening behind her drew her attention away from the heavens, but the demon didn't look back. Whoever came out would identify themselves in sweet time.  
  
"Hey, Ryoko-san," Rei said, coming up behind her friend and leaning forward on the railing.  
  
"Hey, Okuda," Ryoko replied.  
  
"It's cold out, don't you think?" Okuda shivered and pulled her denim jacket tighter around her shoulders.  
  
"I'm used to it."  
  
The two shared a momentary glance before they both looked to the sky.  
  
"What brings you out here?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Same thing that brought you," Kyoko answered.  
  
Though she didn't turn her gaze, the summoner raised her eyebrow. "And what do you think brought me out here?" she challenged.  
  
"You have a lot on your mind."  
  
"Ain't that the truth."  
  
Both pirates sighed heavily.  
  
"So what's on your mind?" Ryoko asked, trying to shift the attention from herself.  
  
Kyoko snorted. "Shall I start from the top?"  
  
The golden eyed woman laughed half-heartedly.   
  
"Ryoko-san, I have a question for you," the raven pirate stated.  
  
"Fire away."  
  
"Your scar...did Kagato give it to you?"  
  
Ryoko jumped and grabbed the girl by the collar. "How do you know about Kagato?" she growled dangerously, venom dripping from every syllable and sounding more like her old controller than herself.  
  
Calmly, Rei replied, "I know more than you think."  
  
The oni tightened her grip, glaring at her old partner. She wanted to hurt the girl for barging into her past. She even raised her fist in a threatening manner, but for some reason, she was unable to go through with it. It was almost like it would hurt her to hurt the girl. Strange…  
  
Ryoko let Okuda go, and Kyoko backed off, not even bothering to massage her neck, which had bright red knuckle prints on it. This girl had strength, all right.  
  
"How do you know about Kagato?" Ryoko asked again, this time with desperation.  
  
"If I could tell you, I would," the green-eyed female responded.  
  
The cyan summoner was at a loss for words. Finally, shaking her head, she whispered, "Who are you?"  
  
"You want to know something pathetic?" Kyoko asked, not giving her friend a chance to respond. "I don't really know anymore."  
  
The women looked at each other, Rei calmly, Ryoko not knowing what to do next.  
  
"Yes," Ryoko finally said.  
  
"Yes what?"  
  
"Kagato gave me the scar."  
  
Kyoko smiled. "That's what I figured."  
  
"Why do you want to know?" Ryoko inquired.  
  
Kyoko's smile broadened as she shook her head. "Goodnight, Ryoko," she said. Then, she walked swiftly to the door. But before she went back inside, she gave her friend a profile of her face.  
  
"Have you told Tenchi?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
  
Ryoko snorted and rolled her eyes. "Of course I haven't! He wouldn't understand!" she sneered.  
  
"Of course he wouldn't understand!" Kyoko told her. "Humans don't understand themselves, let alone others!"  
  
The demon was taken by surprise. She didn't see that coming. She cocked her head to the side curiously.  
  
"Do you love him?" Kyoko continued.  
  
Ryoko looked even more confused.  
  
"With all my heart and soul," she answered. "It's no big secret."  
  
"Then he deserves to know." With that, the one known as Rei walked back into the apartment.  
  
The space pirate stared after her new classmate for a few moments, completely perplexed. Then, she turned back to the golden moon.  
  
She had no idea what had just happened. How did Rei know so well? It's like she wasn't who she pretended to be. Was she trustworthy?  
  
Absentmindedly, Ryoko raised her hand and gingerly ran the tops of her nails and fingers along the scar. Then, she dropped her hand to her side and slid it between her waistband and dress, right where her fatal wound had been.  
  
The oni's dreams flickered in her mind's eye. Such deep sorrow, unlike anything she had ever felt before. Kagato had taught her to never feel emotion. But it had never worked. Especially considering here she was, silent pain coursing through her veins.  
  
But Rei may have just told her a way to relieve at least a little of her burden.  
  
Silently, Ryoko withdrew her hand from her waist and teleported to Tenchi's room.  
  
  
  
Ryoko watched as Tenchi's hand zoomed across a sheet of notebook paper, writing in words too small to see from where she was standing. Homework. She wanted to know why he even bothered, but remembered that he felt he had to be a good student, no matter what. So, instead, she glided silently up to his chair.  
  
"Tenchi-kun?" she cooed, laying her tiny hand on his large and strong one, stopping his pen.  
  
"Jesus, Ryoko-san!" he yelled in surprise, making a large, black mark through his last kanji sign. "Don't do that to me again! You scared the crap out of me!"  
  
Ryoko backed up and looked at the floor, embarrassed.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered.  
  
"Don't be, it's my fault. I'm just...a little stressed." The prince raked his hand nervously through his short, black hair and sighed. He was actually thankful Ryoko came along; he needed a serious break.  
  
"Why are you stressed?" the pirate asked, a bit worried. "And why were you working so hard if you're stressed?"  
  
"I thought it'd keep my mind busy," Tenchi said, gesturing to his writing and shrugging his shoulders. "But it didn't. I've been too worried about you."  
  
"Me?" Ryoko's head jerked up in surprise.  
  
"Yeah. You haven't been yourself lately. At any given point in time you can swing from your normal…hyper…self to…I don't know. It's almost like you're so depressed and distant. I want to help you. Everyone wants to help you, but you just…push us away."  
  
A look of pain drifted across the summoner's face as her love's words sank in. Then, she gave a slight smile as Tenchi walked over to his futon and sat down.  
  
"I was just talking to Rei," she said flatly.  
  
"Okuda-san?" Ryoko nodded. "What'd she have to say?"  
  
"A lot of stuff she shouldn't know."  
  
Tenchi's eyebrow twitched.  
  
"She seemed to know a lot about me; about my past. Hell, she even knew about Kagato."  
  
"How does she know about Kagato?" the boy asked, shocked.  
  
"That's what I said."  
  
Ryoko walked over to the cluttered desk and began shuffling papers for no apparent reason.  
  
"And her reply?" Tenchi asked, intrigued.  
  
"'If I could tell you, I would.' I just don't understand her."  
  
A sudden thought crossed the successor's mind. "Can we trust her? I'm not sure."  
  
"Neither is a part of me. But the other part...just can't help but to trust her."  
  
"Ryoko..." Tenchi whispered, half soothingly, half wanting to catch her attention.  
  
"Maybe it's because she reminds me so much of Kyoko..." Ryoko's voice trailed off.  
  
"Ryoko?" he said again, louder this time.  
  
The girl raised her head to look at him, her vision a bit blurry.  
  
"Why are you crying?"  
  
"I'm crying?" She raised her hand to her eye and felt warm tears trickle down her middle finger. Trying to smile again, she replied, "I have a lot on my mind."  
  
Tenchi worriedly patted the mattress beside him. Ryoko walked over and sat down, bringing her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees.  
  
"I don't want to hurt you," he began, winging what he was saying, "but please, can we talk about what's on your mind? It does no good to keep everything bottled up inside."  
  
"That's why I came here," the cyan beauty said softly. "Rei said that I should tell you what happened the day I got my scar, and I've decided to."  
  
Tenchi was disappointed that it was their classmate that had convinced her to fess up instead of him. But, even still, she was going to speak. Maybe now he could help her.  
  
"I guess it all started under Kagato's control, many years ago…  
  
  
  
A young Ryoko, physically around the age of fourteen, truly in her late fourteen hundreds, finished the last few beats of her organ solo with little confidence. Though it had taken her almost four months for her to learn and perfect "Autumn of Life", she knew it'd be for nothing.  
  
Her master and controller, Kagato, with his long white hair, pasty skin, and trademark cloak, sat beside her on the piano bench. When Ryoko wasn't out looting or killing (usually both), he had taught her to play the organ. She had real talent, but he refused to let her see it.  
  
But this time it was different. She had worked so hard with empty hopes of pleasing him, and for once it had worked.  
  
When she finished, she looked to him, expecting abuse. It was what usually happened. He'd say she was useless, then he'd hit her. Instead, he smiled, amazed at her skill.  
  
"Master, you are pleased?" Ryoko asked, careful not to let any emotion filter into her voice. He hated all emotions. He believed they showed weakness.  
  
"Quite," he replied before he could stop himself.  
  
He waited for her to smile, to giggle, anything. But her face remained set in stone emotionless.  
  
Like I taught her to be, he thought. Dammit! I can't recall what I said! Now she knows she's excellent! He wanted her to show some signs of emotion. He wanted to gain control again, but no prevail. He had basically handed her his weakness on a silver platter. It was true, he loved hearing her play, and now she knew.  
  
But Kagato wasn't a bastard for nothing. He'd take a whole new route.  
  
Ryoko trembled when her teacher's hand reached up and caressed her cheek. He had never done anything like that before, and she liked it. He was being so gentle to her, and this fact alone was strange.  
  
The summoner reached up with her own hand and held his palm to her cheek, momentarily closing her eyes. Then, she looked back up at him and saw…a faint hint of…sorrow?  
  
No! Emotion shows weakness, Master! You said so yourself!  
  
"Sometimes I wish I had never taught you about emotions," Kagato told his student. "Then you could know happiness when you're playing.  
  
Master, stop! Ryoko mentally screamed. You're messing with my mind! I can't reply! I mustn't reply! I won't…  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered sincerely.  
  
There it was. Kagato's smile widened. Those two words gave him the chance to cover what he had earlier said. Slowly, he got up and turned to leave.  
  
Ryoko inwardly sighed. He wasn't going to punish her! She had shown some signs of emotion, and he was leaving.  
  
What she didn't expect was what happened next.  
  
Kagato whipped around and struck the young girl as hard as he could across the face.  
  
Ryoko was sent crashing into the organ. She hit her head on the very corner of the wood, and it was almost as though everything was in slow motion. She could feel her flesh and tissue tearing apart, and she heard the blood bubble up and drip out. But with the blood came something else. Something she hadn't felt for so long. A deep and underlying sadness arose, and she had to use all the self-control she had not to cry.  
  
When his student hit the ground, Kagato noticed she didn't get up, like she usually did. She remained in a twisted heap with her head buried in her arms, letting her own blood drip from the organ into her hair.  
  
"Ryoko, what have I told you about being sorry?" he spat. "When will you learn that emotion is the equivalent of a weakness, you God damn useless marionette?!"  
  
The acid of his words ate at Ryoko's heart. He had been using her emotions to regain power over her!  
  
Kagato kicked her hard in the stomach, causing her to spit up more of her vital body fluids. But still, she stayed curled up on the ground, staring at the Soja's crystal-like floors. A single tear dropped from her eyes, and the summoner was thankful her master never saw it.  
  
The older pirate spun on his heel, a large smile plastered on his face. He loved being an ass hole, especially to her. Stalking away, he basked in his own glory and power, and the fact that now, she once again had nothing over him.  
  
Ryoko made sure Kagato was out of sight before she rose, shaking, to her knees, clutching her stomach and coughing violently. She didn't feel stable enough to stand, so instead, she leaned against the bench, praying it would hold her weight and not slide.  
  
Her master was gone, and she was finally alone. Alone to deal with the sorrow she felt. He had hurt her terribly, and he knew it. She didn't care anymore. Her teachings, the consequences, they meant nothing to her. All she knew was it was emotion taking over her senses now, and she began to cry.  
  
  
  
"From that day on, I swore I'd never play the organ again," Ryoko said, finishing her story. It seemed almost like she was reliving that day. The tears she had shed then came back to grace her cheeks with their sparkling pain. "I knew *hic* that he enjoyed hearing me play, and that bastard knew I *hic* did! And he *sniff* used my emotions against me, just so he could cov-*hic*-er for himself! I hate him so much!"  
  
The oni broke down into heart wrenching sobs, and Tenchi once again understood why she never talked about her past.  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered, pulling her in and wishing there were something he could do to comfort her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and cried into his shoulder.  
  
"Don't be," she choked out.  
  
"Ryoko-san, don't ever think that you can't tell me something!" the successor told her, running his fingers through her quivering mane in a soothing manner. "And don't ever think I won't listen to you, because I will!"  
  
Ryoko raised her head and looked at him. He could tell by the tone of his voice that he was serious, and his face only backed it up. She was grateful to him.  
  
"God, I never thought it'd feel so good to cry," she whispered, laying her head against his chest and attempting to calm her sorrows.  
  
~*~  
  
*Beep!* *Beep!* *Buzz buzz clinkity beep!* *BEEP!!*  
  
Washuu snorted and jolted awake at the sound of her transparent computer booting up. She raised her head sleepily off the keyboard and stretched her sore back and arm muscles. This being on twenty four-hour alert thing was really exhausting, and she had constantly caught herself dozing off at the worst possible points in time. But in this case, last she knew was she was waiting for either Sasami or Kyoko to speak up over the link. She hadn't set her computer to do anything before she fell asleep, yet, here it was, fully activated.  
  
The tiny goddess rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stared at her monitor as her vision focused. It seemed to be analyzing something, but she didn't know what. She had been inputting data into it all day, but nothing that needed to be analyzed.  
  
Strange, she thought, trying as hard as she could to think about what her computer could be working on.  
  
As her vision focused further, she noticed that it was scanning for possible causes for something. Taking a quick look at all the data, the little girl realized what her computer was doing.  
  
"Damn computer!" she hissed, hitting the keyboard with her fist in attempt to stop it. "I already know the first cause of Ryoko's dreams is human, Kyoko, and the second one was a mistake, so stop!"  
  
But all the banging in the world did nothing to cease the laptop's work. It continued beeping and flashing as it went through all the inputted data on her daughter's nightmares. Finally, with one last *BEEEEEP!* and flash, it stopped, the results of it's search showing on the screen.  
  
"No..." Washuu whispered. Then, as everything pieced itself together in her head under this second solution, she screamed, "NO GOD DAMMIT! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!"  
  
The genius put her foot straight through the holo screen in anger and distress, causing it to shatter and disappear.  
  
"Link! Kyoko!" she screamed into thin air in attempt to contact the pirate to tell her.  
  
"Link deactivated," a monotonous electronic voice said in reply. This caused Washuu to puff up in anger.  
  
"Shit! Then link Sasami!"  
  
"Link deactivated! Didn't you get it the first time, Washuu-chan?"  
  
"Why did I give you a personality?! This is serious! If I don't get a hold of them, they're ALL going to die!"  
  
"Fine, fine," the computer said in defeat, "I'll get to it."  
  
Why didn't I see this before?! Age: 1112! Eleven twelve! NOVEMBER 12th!! The genius thought in complete panic, suddenly realizing what everything meant. It's going to happen in two freaking days!.  
  
~*~  
  
Ryoko stood in the same place that had haunted her in her dreams for so long. The dark, desolate, and cold realm welcomed the pirate with an evil beckoning.  
  
Yet, Ryoko had no idea what was going on. There was no blood, there was no pain, and there was no death. This was not the same. Was it all over?  
  
Suddenly, Sasami appeared in front of her, lying spread eagle on the ground. She didn't seem to be breathing; there was no rising and falling of her chest.  
  
Without thinking, the woman ran over to the little girl and knelt beside her. But when she reached out, she hesitated, remembering what happened the last time.  
  
I'm not the one dying this time, she is! She thought to herself, reaching out and picking up the princess's limp wrist and checking for a pulse. Finding none, Ryoko picked up her body and held it close to her, shaking her shoulders.  
  
"Sasami-chan, wake up!" she called into the darkness, unsure of what else to do. She might have done CPR…if she knew what that was.  
  
"She's not going to wake up, Ryoko," a cold and malicious voice said.  
  
Ryoko's voice whipped up in surprise, and she saw the same shadowy figure that had taken her life many times before. Except, the outline was more clearly defined, and she saw that it was a girl. She drew from the air a blazing blue blade and made her way to the demon summoner.  
  
"You're such a fool," the voice continued, not at all matching the female that it came from. It was deep and powerful, and it sent chills down Ryoko's spine. "I've been practically telling you since the beginning, and you still don't know who I am! It's really pissing me off!"  
  
Ryoko couldn't speak. There was just no way! The girl's fingers had wrapped around her neck, and they were practically crushing her windpipe. She tried to defend herself against her captor, but the figure just sliced her sword through her stomach.  
  
"There's no use fighting," the shadow spat.  
  
Then, Ryoko felt herself falling to the ground as it let go of her, doubling over and clutching its head. "No! Please! Help!" it pleaded silently. "I can't…kill her!" This voice matched the shadow. It was a girl's, and she was desperate. Something clicked in her brain, and finally Ryoko knew. She knew who had been killing her. She knew whom both voices belonged to, and who the shadow was.  
  
"Ryoko! Ryoko!" A faint and far off voice called her name, and she felt herself being shaken violently. But she resisted giving in. She wanted to help the girl, but found it to be no use. The distant voice just wouldn't give up, and finally, Ryoko let herself be pulled away…  
  
  
  
"Ryoko! Wake up!" Tenchi said, giving his girlfriend another good shake. He watched relieved as her eyes shot open.  
  
"What?!" she screamed coldly, shoving him away. She had just figured out her dreams and he woke her up, causing her to forget her killer's identity. "What is it?!"  
  
"There's blood in the bed!" he told her, frantically pointing to a large red puddle in the center of the mattress. Ryoko whipped onto her stomach and stared, bewildered, at the stain.  
  
"Where the hell did that come from?" she asked him, sticking her finger in the center of it. It was fresh.  
  
"I don't know! I woke up with my hand in it!"  
  
The pirate stared intently at the crimson mark. She had a feeling where it came from, but she was too scared to look. Yet, the answer was bound to show its ugly face soon, so why not speed it up?  
  
Slowly, she rose to her knees and looked down. A deep, sword-given gash ran across her stomach, dripping blood onto her torn shirt. Raising her hand to her wound, she drew Tenchi's attention from the stain to her.  
  
"I know where it came from," she said, waving her free hand in a gesture for him to look down.  
  
When the boy saw the tattered, bloody shirt and the incision in the girl's skin, he gasped.  
  
"Ryoko-san, what happened?"  
  
Ryoko shook her head, not really knowing, but stopped almost as soon as she started. She knew what had happened.  
  
"My dream," she whispered, knowing she had his full attention, "I received a wound just like this one in my dream tonight!"  
  
"Meaning...?" Tenchi asked, not realizing what she was getting at.  
"Meaning they aren't just nightmares...they're premonitions..."  
  
  
  
~*Notes from Minagi*~  
  
Ha! Finally! The end is near! This story is drawing to a climatic point! And the end is in sight! Yay! But the next chapter may take me quite a while because, not only is summer drawing to an end and I have to go back to school soon (Waaaaahhhh!), I'm debating whether to combine chapters ten and eleven into one. Besides, I seriously need to work out my thoughts on the ending.  
  
This chapter may be a little confusing, I'm sorry, but I hope you liked it, none the less. Please review! I love hearing from you guys!! Arigatou, and until next time!! 


	12. Blood of a Demon

~Notes From Minagi~  
  
I can explain! The long interval in between this chapter and last chapter has a lot of causes.   
For one, technology hates me and is conspiring against me (my firewall crashed, killing our   
computer for about a month and a half, damn it!). Also, I was stupid enough to get grounded for   
a month. Of course, the reasons themselves were dumb…but what done is done, and I managed to   
trick my mom into thinking that four weeks had passed when it was only three. I tried that   
trick at two, but she didn't buy it, so I was stuck for yet another week. Lastly, I decided to   
get "On Wings of Silver Moonlight" out there. It seemed like a good idea at the time!  
  
Okay, my computer's a buttmunch, so I gotta cut this short. On with the story!  
  
  
"Your dreams are premonitions?" Sasami asked, not wanting to believe what Ryoko had just told   
the family. She knew that if they truly were premonitions, not only was her friend in danger,   
she was as well.  
  
Ryoko nodded, her face downcast, in response. Then, she turned to the rest around the dinner   
table, hoping someone would say something. But when nothing came, she said, "Relatively,   
Sasami-chan. What else could they be?" With that, she fell silent, looking down at the pillow   
on which she was perched.  
Aeka thought back to what had transpired that morning, trying to put it all together. But   
everything seemed so unclear. All she could remember was Tenchi knocking on her door about ten   
minutes ago, telling her and her sister that they needed to have a family meeting, then hearing   
about her rival's dream, what had happened when she woke up, and her discovery. There were so   
many questions shooting across her conscious mind. But, silently, in the back of her brain, a   
sudden thought was forming.  
  
"Okuda…" the princess blurted out quietly. The sudden break of silence caused everyone to look   
at Aeka curiously.  
  
"What about her, princess?" Ryoko asked, eyebrow quirked.  
  
"She has something to do with this."  
  
Kiyone wrinkled her forehead. "How do you figure?"  
  
"Remember what happened at school? She caused it!" the purple hared girl persisted.  
  
Standing up and giving Aeka a small smile, the summoner turned to the direction of Rei's room. "Aeka's right, Kiyone. It wouldn't hurt to ask."  
  
~*~  
  
10 November  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
This situation has gotten totally out of hand. This morning I woke up with blood splattered on   
my hands and clothes. No need to ask who's it is, I already know. I saw it in my dream. I   
wounded Ryoko with a bright blue sword. I didn't want to do it, but I had no control over   
myself. A voice in my head kept repeating "Kill her. Kill her."  
  
It's so hard to write down what's going on, because I really don't know. That voice in my head   
has become quite frequent, and it's always saying the same thing. "Destroy the enemy. Kill   
her." It took me a while to figure out whom the enemy was at first, but anymore I don't know   
how it could've passed me up. Maybe if I had of figured it out sooner, none of this would've   
happened.  
  
I've lost all contact with Washuu, and I don't know why. It scares me. Now who can tell me why   
I have a deep, insufferable longing to spill the blood of the one I've loved as my sister for   
the longest time? I hate myself for feeling such things, yet part of my mind and soul screams   
for it, and I can't help myself but to smile at the very thought of her life running through my   
fingers and over my blade in the form of crimson water. But I don't even have a sword! Do I?   
Anymore, it wouldn't surprise me.  
  
So much for keeping my sanity.  
  
~Kyoko  
  
Kyoko set her diary aside and lay back on the exotic blue comforter on her futon.  
"I don't know why I even bother," she sighed, referring to the medieval style book in which she   
wrote down her thoughts. "Not like it helps anymore."  
  
She slowly turned her eyes to her closed door as she began to hear silent footsteps making their   
way to it. And, almost immediately, it opened to reveal Ryoko, Aeka, and Tenchi. Seeing them   
reminded the girl that she hadn't put her eye drops in, so she quickly turned her head and   
prayed they wouldn't notice their violet color.  
  
"Yes?" she asked, siting up on her bed and staring down at her hands, which were clasped tightly   
together in her lap.  
  
Ryoko walked swiftly in the room, head held high, but paid for her display of pride. She   
hunched over and wrapped her arm around her midsection, leaning on the back of a chair. Kyoko   
couldn't help but glance up worriedly. She silently cursed herself for causing her partner's   
pain.  
  
"Ryoko-san, are you all right?" Tenchi asked, walking to her side.  
  
The demon woman straightened, wiping her brow and nodding.  
  
"Fine, fine," she replied, waving away his question.  
  
Aeka followed the prince into the room. She stood beside Rei's mattress, wondering why the girl   
didn't look up.  
  
"Okuda-san, I'm going to be forward with you," she said, not really caring if she kept up her   
proper appearance or not. "What are you hiding from us?"  
  
"Hiding?" Kyoko asked in a falsely convincing tone.  
  
"Yes, Rei. Hiding," Ryoko repeated.  
  
"I'm not hiding anything!" The pirate insisted. She found it hard to keep her eyes down, and   
eventually decided to get up and keep her mind occupied by searching for her eye drops. All the   
while, she denied any knowledge of what had happened that morning.  
  
After five minutes of questioning, Ryoko was getting frustrated. She knew Rei wasn't telling   
the truth, and she hated being lied to. She was just about to blow up in anger when Sasami   
walked briskly into the room and stood in front of Okuda, hand behind her back.  
  
Kyoko looked from the drawer of her night stand to the little girl's back and noticed that there   
was a tiny white bottle clasped tightly in her fingers. Trying to go unnoticed, she reached out   
and took the bottle in her own hand and looked down at it.  
  
My eye drops? She thought. How'd they get out of my room?  
  
In a barely audible tone, Sasami whispered, "Ryo-ohki."  
  
Chuckling, Kyoko nodded.  
  
"Sasami-chan? What are you doing in here?" Aeka asked, totally confused. She had seen Rei take   
something from her sister, but she didn't know what it was.  
  
"I came in to tell you to stop!" the pig tailed girl whined. "You can't be sure whether she did   
it or not! Besides," she turned around and stared up into Rei's face, smiling, "I trust her."  
  
Ryoko stepped guardedly towards the little one. "But, Sasami…"  
  
"No," Sasami ordered in an authoritative tone, turning to face the pirate, cold power gleaming   
in her normally innocent eyes. Though she was nothing more than a child, her voice could hold   
more strength and domination than her sister could ever dream of mustering. It actually scared   
her, but when the girl of the second crown needed to use it, she let it all out. "I trust her,   
Ryoko."  
  
Everyone backed up in fear. No one had ever heard words dripping with so much force come out of   
their beloved little cook's mouth. To them, she was their girl, the one who always kept a smile   
on her face and childish giggles in her manner. Now they saw that she was so much more.  
  
Ryoko gulped, attempting to speak, but found her voice lost somewhere in the depths of   
surprise. So, instead, she nodded, turned on her heel, and quietly motioned for Aeka and Tenchi   
to follow.  
  
When the trio had left the room behind, Aeka finally spoke.  
  
"Did you notice?"  
  
Tenchi raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Notice what?"  
  
"Her eyes," Ryoko grunted. She could tell she was over-doing herself; her wound had yet to stop   
bleeding. The bandage she had put on before waking everyone up had a deep crimson stain on it,   
and the incision itself stung, sending random jolts of electric like pain through her body.  
  
"They weren't green," Aeka stated.  
  
Back in Kyoko's room…  
  
Sasami watched as her sister and friends walked side-by-side down the short, dimly lit hallway   
of the apartment. She didn't like what she had just done, but she felt she had to do something.  
  
"Sasami-chan?" Kyoko asked warily.  
  
The princess turned around to see the red head looking at her worriedly. She smiled kindly, and   
watched as Kyoko's shoulder's relaxed in relief.  
  
"I'm thankful to you that you covered for me, but…" the pirate sighed heavily, "…I think the   
game's over."  
  
"We lost, didn't we?" Sasami asked, playing off the analogy.  
  
Kyoko snorted silently, staring at the ground beneath her feet. "Yeah, we did. And though I   
hate lying to Ryoko, for once I really wish I were. But…it WAS me that hurt Ryoko."  
  
"I know, Kyoko-san. I know."  
  
~*~  
  
Mihoshi sat silently on the tan leather couch next to Kiyone, twiddling her thumbs in   
anticipation of breakfast. She was getting bored of waiting, especially since no one had spoke   
even a single word for at least a half an hour. She began to fidget in her seat as second after   
second ticked by.  
  
Finally, aggravated with her partner's obvious determination to keep busy, Kiyone turned her   
attention to Mihoshi.  
  
"Mihoshi-chan, why don't you go get Rei?"  
  
Happy to finally have something to do, the blonde jumped off the couch and out of the room. She   
stopped immediately outside Okuda's door and pressed her ear against it.  
  
From inside it she could hear someone talking, but she couldn't understand them. The voice was   
that of a man's, and it was deep and powerful, sending chills down Mihoshi's spine. After he   
spoke, yet another muffled voice came through the wood of the door in response. It was   
monotonous, emotionless, and almost lifeless. It sounded like Rei's, and yet it didn't.  
  
Careful not to make any noise, Mihoshi opened the door a crack so she could hear exactly what   
was being said. But nothing came. The room seemed to be empty.  
  
A minute passed before the GP officer heard any signs of life. Footsteps made their way to the   
door, and then it was pulled all the way open.  
  
Overbalancing, Mihoshi fell forward and landed in a face to the ground, ass in the air position   
on the floor. Peels of hearty laughter reached her ears from above her as she struggled to get   
up.  
  
Kyoko knelt down and took the ditz by the hand, pulling her to a standing position. "If you   
wanted to come in, you should've said something! You didn't have to stand in the doorway!"  
  
Mihoshi stumbled on her feet, threatening to fall again. She attempted to regain her balance,   
but instead met the ground face first for a second time. Deciding it'd be best to stay down for   
a while, she turned her head so the raven hared female was in her view.  
  
"Who else was in here?" she asked.  
  
Kyoko gave the blonde a look of confusion. "No one, why?"  
  
Mihoshi quirked an eyebrow and slowly stood. "I heard someone else in here…a man."  
  
"Well, I can assure you there's no one else but me. Now, what was it that you needed?"  
  
The detective shook her head vigorously, trying to remember why she had come in the first place.  
  
"It had something to do with…uh…"  
  
Kyoko smiled, her brilliant green eyes catching the little light there was and giving off a   
faint glare. "Is breakfast ready?"  
  
"Oh yeah! Breakfast is ready!"  
  
But the ex pirate had already begun the short journey down the hall, leaving the door wide   
open. Out of curiosity, Mihoshi poked her head into the room but saw nothing. No signs of   
force entry or exit, no signs of anyone hiding, nothing.  
  
But I know I heard someone! She thought before following Kyoko back into the family room.  
  
  
"Ryoko-san, are you all right?" Sasami asked. She watched as the demon continued to stare at   
her plate, and yet look right through it to something greater. She had hardly touched her food,   
and what she had touched she hadn't eaten. "Is your dream still bothering you?" When Ryoko   
still didn't answer, the subject was dropped.  
  
Breakfast had been unusually quiet so far, and Sasami didn't like it. She supposed everyone was   
still in shock from hearing about Ryoko's discovery. She had to admit, she was dead scared   
herself. If her friend's dreams were true, she was destined to die, and there was nothing she   
could do.  
  
"That's IT!" Ryoko screamed in aggravation, slamming her fists on the tabletop and pulling   
everyone out of thought. "I'm sick and tired of this! If anyone needs me, I'll be on the   
balcony!" With that, she stomped away from the table.  
  
She stalked to the sliding glass, slid it open and stepped outside, slamming it shut. Then, she   
glided to the railing and leaned forward on it.  
  
She was sick of her dreams, and how convenient it was that she forgot the identity of her killer   
when she woke up. She rested her head in her hands, throwing her vision into total blackness,   
and drained out the world around her.  
  
The summoner could still vividly picture the nightmare. The darkness, the shadow…its longing to   
kill her had frozen Ryoko's blood inside her veins. And then…it had begun to cry, and only then   
did Ryoko realize who it was. There must have been something in the way it cried, or…she didn't   
know.  
  
"I just want to know what's going on," she whispered, feeling a single, hot tear slide   
gracefully down her cheek.  
  
When she felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around her waist, Ryoko didn't even bother to react.   
There was no real point; she knew who it was, so she remained leaning against the railing.  
  
"I want it all to end," the pirate whispered to them. "Why can't it just go away?!"  
  
Tenchi rested his chin gently on her shoulder blade before replying. "I know you want it to   
end, but there's nothing we can do right now but wait."  
  
Ryoko turned around to face the prince and started intently at his face. "I can't wait!" she   
snapped. "You're asking me to wait for death to just come sweeping in and take over me, and I   
can't do that! Not again!"  
  
"Ryoko calm down! Calm down!!" he ordered, taking hold of her shoulders a giving them a little   
shake.   
  
The oni stopped in mid rant to stare at him angrily, but her glare didn't last long. Her face   
fell and she turned once again, taking up her previous position. Tenchi backed off to the side,   
his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"I'm so tired of it all," she mumbled. "The shadow's cry is like an endless echo! It won't go   
away! If I could…could only…remember…" Ryoko's voice gradually trailed off as she lost her   
train of thought.  
  
"I can't kill her!" Like a badly tuned radio, the girl's voice broke through the summoner's   
mind. It had been those words that had sparked recognition in her dream. Now they were nothing   
more to her than a ring in her brain that refused to end.  
  
"I-I'm going back in, Tenchi," she said, shaking her head and walking to the door.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi called out to her in distress. She stopped, her hand halfway to the door   
handle, and gave him a profile of her face. "Please…stop pushing me away…stop running…"  
  
Ryoko's hand dropped to her side as she stood with her back to him. "I'm sorry," she muttered   
after a moment's silence, "but it's all I know how to do anymore…run."  
  
"Ryoko…"  
  
She silently slid open the sliding glass and stepped inside. Hesitating, she turned back to her   
love and gave him a falsely bright smile.  
  
"Coming or not, Tenchi?" she chirped.  
  
Tenchi knew she was faking it, but, nevertheless, he smiled and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Right behind you," he answered.  
  
Together, they walked through the various rooms of the under-sized apartment, laughing and   
carrying on. Both were only vaguely aware when they reached the dining area.  
  
That's when it happened…  
  
People talk of déjà vu, and if Ryoko were to ever look back, that's exactly how she'd describe   
it. But that's not what it was.  
  
In a single, fleeting moment, a something inside of her told her to look over. In a swift,   
almost undetectable instant, her mind worked overdrive, processing what she was seeing and   
putting all she knew together like Washuu's computer. And then, time froze as reality smacked   
Ryoko hard in the face.  
  
That was it. That waterfall of black silk that gracefully spilled from her head to her back in   
tight waves. It was only a cover for the straight fall of blood underneath. And the green of   
her eyes. So beautiful, so radiant, so…unreal.  
  
It was all a lie. The alter-dimension, the pill, everything. It was all created as a shield to   
hide the truth.  
  
"Kyoko…" she whispered, as though she had never heard the word before, "…it was YOU!"  
  
The silence of the room intensified, until it could rightfully rival that of a mausoleum at   
midnight. The one known as Okuda Rei spun around to see the demon staring intently at her. She   
blinked hard.  
  
"Na…nani?"  
  
"It was YOU…" Ryoko said, louder this time. Then, as kind of an afterthought, she added,   
"…Kyoko."  
  
Kyoko closed her eyes, and her lips trembled before forming into a vicious smile. Tears of acid   
green poured from beneath her lids. She slowly stood and drew from the air a wicked looking   
sword hilt.  
  
It was as black as death itself. The tip was pointed so sharply it appeared to be able to break   
even the toughest of skins with a single touch. At the top, a crystal the sickening color of   
blood perched half attached at the center.  
  
The girl drew in a deep breath, and as she released it, a dazzling, electric blue blade not much   
over a meter in length sprang out, forming a deadly sword. It gave off an aura identical in   
color to the base, and the radiation of power was incredible. Along one of its sides, a deep,   
ruby stain ran half the length of the blade.  
  
Ryoko stood, completely bewildered. She looked from the sword to the trails of green on Rei's   
pale skin to the scar and back. She had become overwhelmed by the extra energy that bounced   
through the room. It conquered her senses until she could hardly think.  
  
"Ky-Kyoko?" she stammered as she felt her head begin to pound.  
  
Kyoko's now faintly glowing eyes snapped open, yet the malicious smile remained.  
  
"Good job, Ryoko," she sneered in a sharp voice that echoed around the room. "It only took you,   
what, seven months?"  
  
Sasami, who had been standing off to the side, dashed to Ryoko's side just as she fell. Tenchi   
quickly followed. Aeka remained where she was, yet still played her part. She brought fourth   
her logs in defense, and Kiyone drew her blaster.  
  
"Stop, Kyoko!" Aeka screamed.  
  
Kyoko laughed in response, sending a powerful blast of energy charging at the princess. Sasami   
called for her sister just as Aeka crashed into the table, barely managing to avoid being hit.  
  
"Oneesan!" the child screamed. She attempted to get to Aeka, but found herself blocked off by   
the pirate-gone-mad.  
  
"I don't think so," Kyoko sneered.  
  
Though her whole body was shaking in fear and her mind raced as fast as it could, Sasami took   
another step forward, staring deeply into Kyoko's burning eyes. She could try for a   
psychological attack and attempt to reach the true Kyoko. It had worked in the past, hadn't it?  
  
Actually, when the princess thought about it, she had always stayed on the sidelines, scared.   
When they faced Kagato, she cried for Tsunami. When they were up against an entire Galaxy   
Police fleet and Yagami crashed, she clung to Washuu like a child to its mother.  
  
But I don't want to be scared anymore, she thought, balling up her left fist and extending her   
right hand to Kyoko, who, miraculously, had stayed eye to eye, locked in a stare-down with Sasami.  
  
"Kyoko, this isn't you," she said timidly. "Look at you! Look at your sword! It's stained   
with Ryoko's blood! Ryoko! Your best friend!"  
  
"Sasami, stop!" Aeka screamed at her sister, attempting to remove herself from the remains of   
the broken table. To her, Kyoko was dangerous, one who would stop at nothing to kill anyone who   
got in her way. There was no use reasoning.  
  
Sasami didn't even glance at Aeka. She gave no thought to what had been said and continued.  
  
"If we could just get a hold of Washuu, I'm sure she'd know what to do!"  
  
Kyoko blinked, seeming confused. She slowly raised her sword and stared at it; at the stain   
that dimmed the aura of the blade. Before she had found pleasure in it. Now that Sasami had   
said something, she saw something else…something more. It was…it was…  
  
Glory. Sick, twisted glory.  
  
"That was beautiful, Sasami," she whispered, giving the girl a false sense of hope. "Except for   
one thing."  
  
The raven hared killer turned, the glowing in her eyes growing brighter, to the girl. Slowly,   
she glided over and grabbed Sasami by the neck, lifting her several centimeters off the ground.   
"You see, I was the one who cut off the link with Washuu."  
  
"Let her go!"  
  
The voice of Ryoko rang out cold and hard, merciless. Kyoko spun around to see the one she once   
called her sister glaring at her.  
  
Though the pain in her stomach raged like flames, Ryoko stood her ground.  
  
"Let her go, I said! If it's me you want, I'm right here!"  
  
Slowly, the pressure on her victim's throat was released. Kyoko didn't know what to do. It was   
one thing to hurt Ryoko when she was sleeping, when she can't do anything about it. It was   
another to hurt her when she could fight back.  
  
But I must destroy the enemy! She mentally screamed.  
  
"But is she truly the enemy?" A quiet voice replied.  
  
Yes! She is! They all are! They must die!  
  
Kyoko clung to her head and stumbled, eyes clenched tightly.  
  
"Why? Why must they die?" The voice, it was so calm, almost understanding. It was driving the   
pirate to a breakdown.  
  
Because! I have been told!  
  
"Kyoko! Come get me!" Ryoko could see her friend was losing it. "If it's the only way to stop   
this!"  
  
If it's the only way to stop this…Kyoko repeated.  
  
"The only way to stop this is-"  
  
"NO!! I MUST DESTROY THE ENEMY!!"  
  
And with that, the true Space Pirate Kyoko fell, lost, into the depths of her own soul, finally   
conquered by the monster that had been eating away at her mind since day one. Now she knew no   
mercy, she knew no pity. All she knew were bloodshed and a sadistic longing to cause others pain.  
  
Straightening, she gave Ryoko a piercing glare.  
  
"I'll be back…" she sneered as she faded from sight. A silence like that which conquers one at   
death settled over the room.  
  
"I don't understand," Ryoko whispered, raking her hand through her hair in distress and leaning   
against the wall. She let her head fall to her chest and closed her eyes. "Where could I have   
gone wrong?"  
  
"Ryoko, you shouldn't blame this on yourself," Kiyone said. She realized she had been glued to   
her spot in fear and she still had her blaster tightly clasped in her hand. Her knuckles were   
cramping and locking, and the skin covering them was pure white. She relaxed, prying the weapon   
from her blood-deprived fingers. "You didn't know."  
  
Mihoshi pulled the blanket off of her head. She had used it to block out what was happening   
around her when Kyoko went crazy. She creeped out from her place of hiding in the corner and   
immediately dashed to her partner's side, throwing her arms around Kiyone's stomach.  
  
"Kiyone! That was really scary! What happened, Kiyone? Kiyoneeeeeee?!"  
  
"Ack! Mihoshi, lemme go! Can't breathe!" Kiyone said, beating the blonde on top of the head.  
  
Ryoko looked up to survey the scene, and she couldn't help but chuckle. Sasami, who was little   
more than half her sister's size, was attempting to pull Aeka up from the broken table. The   
first crown princess, with noodles in her hair and stains on her dress, looked rather aggravated   
that it wasn't working. As for Kiyone's problems, well, Ryoko really pitied the police officer.   
Mihoshi didn't appear to want to let go any time soon, despite the continuous thumps to her head.  
  
"Hey!" Tenchi said from off to the side. During the fight he had stayed where he was as well,   
completely unsure of what to do. "Hey, Ryoko, that was the first time I've heard you truly   
laugh in days!"  
  
Ryoko turned her eyes and smirked at him. "Yeah, well…"  
  
"So," Sasami grunted as she once again pulled on her sister's arm with all her strength, "what   
are we going to do now?" Giving up, she let Aeka's wrist go and plopped down on the floor where   
she stood.  
  
"Well, first off," the remaining pirate began, "kudos to you, Sasami-chan. What you did took   
guts."  
  
The child blushed and scratched the back of her head, mumbling about how it didn't work.  
  
"That makes no difference. Sasami, you were very brave."  
  
Sasami's face broke into a wide grin.  
  
Ryoko smiled back before continuing.  
  
"Second, I know what were dealing with, and it's not Kyoko. It's something much greater, much   
more powerful. It won't stop until it's done what it needs to do."  
  
"What do you mean, Ryoko?" Aeka asked, finally free from the remains of breakfast.  
  
"I mean Kyoko can't stop until we're all dead, not just me."  
  
Gasps arose from everyone in the room. Even the walls themselves seemed surprised.  
  
"Ryoko, no!" Sasami cried.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sasami, but not even I can stop a grudge held through death."  
  
  
"24 October  
  
Dear Diary,  
You know, it's very odd to go back through my journals and relive my time in space, on Earth,   
and even now. It's one of those things where you either remember you did it and you loved it,   
remember you did it and you hated it, or you don't remember it at all. Take the time Ryoko and   
I ran around the ship dancing madly to music. Well, no, let me rephrase that. I was dancing   
madly, she was doing lip synchs. I recall it all so clearly. That was the day I decided that I   
should get the beverages from then on…"  
  
Ryoko chuckled as she read Kyoko's diary. She remembered that day as well. And the funny thing   
was, she couldn't remember the next day. Well, actually she could, and it basically consisted   
of a pounding headache and a raging stomachache, compliments of her hangover.  
  
"What's so funny, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked, coming up to her from behind the couch. He leaned over   
her shoulder, read the passage, and found himself laughing. "You're kidding me! She actually   
trusted you to buy drinks?"  
Unfortunately, the successor was so busy making fun of Ryoko that he failed to see the pillow   
coming at him. Only when it smacked him in the face did he sense anything.  
"Shut up, boy!" the summoner said with false anger, taking another swing at his head with the   
blandly colored cushion.  
Tenchi blocked it with his hand easily. "So, what do you know now?" he asked, gesturing to the   
book that lay open in Ryoko's lap.  
"Nothing really," Ryoko sighed. "At least, nothing that I hadn't already figured out."  
"Shove over," Tenchi said. Ryoko adjusted so he had room, and he sat down next to her. "So,   
what had you figured out?"  
"Well, for one thing, both Washuu and Sasami knew about it, although Sasami never came into the   
picture until we got to this world. For another…Kyoko's known that she was the cause of   
everything since a few weeks after she came. She ran to Washuu in fear, and I guess it all   
spilled out from there-"  
  
"Wait, wait," the prince interrupted, holding up his hand to stop his girlfriend. "You mean to   
tell me Sasami-chan learned everything before we did?"  
  
Ryoko nodded.  
  
"Do you think that's why she's in danger?"  
  
"Oh, that's exactly why she's in danger. She knew, we didn't."  
  
The two fell silent, staring down at the dirty pages of the little black book. Ryoko flicked to   
the next page, deep in thought.  
  
There was something that she hadn't mentioned. Something else that she knew, something the   
others didn't. If she said it, the reaction definitely wouldn't be good. She kept telling   
herself she hadn't told anyone about it yet for their sake, but at the same time she knew that   
wasn't why. She feared the truth, how it all fit together so perfectly. It scared her deeply.  
  
Without thinking, Ryoko began to hum quietly. It was a song she knew all too well, and yet one  
she had never wanted to hear again.  
  
"Hey, I know this song," Tenchi said. "Kyoko hummed it all the time!"  
  
"Yeah…" the demon said softly. You have no idea, Tenchi, she thought, inwardly shaking her head.  
  
Tenchi looked over to Ryoko. He had never seen her so sad and scared.  
  
"We'll make it through this, Ryoko-chan. I promise."  
  
Ryoko stood up and tossed the diary down where she had been sitting. "What do you mean, 'we'?   
It's never me that does anything, it's always you. I just get the shit beat out of me."  
  
"It doesn't always have to be that way, you know."  
  
Ryoko began to reply, but stopped when Aeka entered the room. The two made eye contact, though   
nothing was said until the princess was seated.  
  
"Tenchi's right, Ryoko. Have faith." Aeka's voice deceived her. She didn't believe it either,   
and it showed. She had no hope.  
  
"Have you guys seen Sasami?" Kiyone asked, poking her head in the door from the kitchen.  
  
Tenchi, Ryoko, and Aeka all shook their heads no, and Ryoko said to ask Mihoshi. Kiyone mumbled   
something like, "I'm not going to bother if she's with Mihoshi," and quickly disappeared back   
around the corner.  
  
"So," Aeka asked when the officer was out of sight, "what do we know now?"  
  
Ryoko took a deep breath and faced her rival. "Kyoko, Washuu, and Sasami have known everything   
longer than any of us, and that's why Sasami's on the line."  
  
"Hmmm, what a comfort."  
  
The pirate smirked.  
  
Kiyone stalked out of the kitchen, an overstuffed and half-eaten turkey sandwich in her fist.   
She walked through the living room, not bothering to say anything before reaching the hallway.  
  
"Mihoshi! Sasami!" she called down the short corridor as she continued to the last door. She   
knocked twice before entering.  
  
The three in the main room turned back to each other, ready to finish discussing the topic at   
hand when they heard Kiyone's high-pitched screech. Tenchi, Ryoko, and Aeka shot out of the   
room in the blink of an eye, and they were standing in the doorway merely seconds after their   
friend had screamed.  
  
Kiyone was leaning over an unconscious Mihoshi, who was sprawled face down on her futon. She   
had a large, bloody gash in the back of her head that had ripped most of her hair out of the   
ponytail when it had been given. When Kiyone shook her repeatedly, she did not awaken. Her   
head just rolled from side to side, her face remaining glued to the mattress.  
  
The most sickening part, however, was not the ditz's limp form, sticky crimson locks, or   
Ryo-ohki, who lay right beside Mihoshi, just as helpless. It was what they couldn't see.  
  
"Oh my God!" Aeka screamed, running over to the two. She stood above the bed, knuckles pressed   
to her mouth in fear. "What happened? Where's Sasami?"  
  
"I don't know!" Kiyone frantically replied, giving her partner another good shake. "I found her  
just like this!"  
  
Tenchi walked over to the bed as well, but Ryoko remained frozen in her spot.  
  
"Ryo-ohki…" she meekly called to her companion.   
  
She got a choked "mew" in response, and the cabbit staggered to its feet. She took a few uneasy   
steps before falling back to the ground. Seeing and understanding her pain, Ryoko glided over   
and scooped the creature into her arms.  
  
"What happened?" she whispered. Ryo-ohki gave her a bleary look before replying with one single   
"Miya". Ryoko stared.  
  
"What happened, Ryoko-chan?" Tenchi asked, prepared for the worst.  
  
The oni looked up at him, large tears brimming in her golden eyes. "Kyoko came back."  
  
"What?" Aeka said, shocked.  
  
"Kyoko came back, and now Sasami is gone!"  
  
The young heiress took Ryoko by the collar and brought her close, till they were almost nose to   
nose. Aeka's hot breath smelled of fear, and her voice quivered as she spoke.  
  
"Tell me," she whimpered, "please tell me you're not serious. Tell me you misunderstood!"  
  
"I can't…" Ryoko said, pushing Aeka off of her with all her might. "I can't tell you that…  
There's nothing I can do!"  
  
"But there must be, Ryoko! You know what we're up against!"  
  
"There isn't! I'm powerless!"  
  
Aeka tried to keep her ground, but was finding it harder and harder as each second passed.   
Ryoko knew more than what she was telling, that was obvious. That fact alone hurt Aeka deeper   
than she could really bear. Now her sister had been kidnapped by the enemy and was most likely   
soon to die.  
Ryoko didn't know how much that one piece of information that she held secret could help, even   
if only Aeka's heart.  
  
"What are you hiding from us, Ryoko-san?" she cried, into her hands.  
  
Ryoko opened her mouth to answer, but found no words. She couldn't tell, Aeka wasn't strong   
enough. She herself could hardly stand the truth. So instead, she turned her attention to   
Ryo-ohki, who lay curled up in her arms.  
  
"Ryo-ohki, are you all right?"  
  
The tiny creature opened one small, amber eye; her only physical response.  
  
But silently, deep inside Ryoko's mind, a quiet voice asked her why she didn't tell.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ryo-ohki…but I can't."  
  
"Ryoko, stop avoiding the subject!" Tenchi intervened. "Please, tell us!"  
  
Ryoko turned her back to the world, shaking in distress.  
  
"No…" she whispered. "This is one thing I must face up to on my own…I will get Sasami back…but   
I must do it by myself…"  
  
"Ryoko…" Tenchi sighed sadly, placing his hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what to do. He   
struggled to be calm, but found it impossible. I don't want to be angry with you! He mentally   
shouted. But you're making it so difficult! "…Why must you be so stubborn?!"  
  
"Why can't you understand?" she spat back, keeping her ground. "It's not like I wanted this!   
It's not like…"  
A groan rose from the bed as the blonde officer stirred. Slowly, she sat up, swaying. The futon   
seemed to be moving like a ship in turbulent waters. Her head throbbed, and colors she didn't   
even know existed danced in front of her eyes. She groped around the mattress for the little   
cook she was once with, but instead found her partner's hand. She grabbed it and squeezed it   
tightly, attempting to speak.  
  
"Ki-Kiyon-ne…" Mihoshi stuttered, her voice a high pitched squeak, "I-it was-s terrible! He   
j-just ca-came out of no-nowhere and-d attacked us! She was with him, b-but she was-n't hers-  
self! I was s-so scared!"  
  
Kiyone brought her friend in, embracing her, protecting her. Mihoshi sobbed into her friend's   
shoulder, happy to be alive.  
  
Tenchi, on the other hand, surveyed the scene, a small flicker of a smile playing on his lips.   
"He." He had heard the word "He" in Mihoshi's story. Meaning…  
  
"Mihoshi-chan?" he asked. He waited for her tears to calm before asking his question. "Do you   
know who attacked you?"  
  
"Mihoshi, no!" Ryoko ordered, trying to stop her from saying it. But it was no use.  
  
The blonde nodded. "It-t was-s Ky-yoko and K-K-Ka-gato…"  
  
  
~Notes from Minagi~  
So, whatcha think? Don't worry, everything will be explained in the next chapter. Don't forget   
to review, so I know you haven't forgotten about me!  
  
~Minagi  
ps. Word of advice for the future. As I have found out in the course of the past few months,   
it is not a bad thing to talk to inanimate objects, nor is it a bad sign when they start talking   
back. Now, when they start cussing you out, that's when you can start worrying. Kay? Just  
thought I'd clear that up. 


	13. Spirits of the Past Part One: Truth

~Notes From Minagi~  
He…he he…heeeeee…this is where I meet my real challenge in writing. Last chapter was nothing   
compared to this one as far as the amount of thought goes. But, I'm gonna give it a try.  
Oh yes, now that I'm thinking about it, I had to separate this chapter into two parts. I began   
writing it, and didn't get to the main point till page nine. And since tomorrow is my first day   
of (GODDESSES HELP ME!) school, I figured I could post the first part.  
Okay, MinakoSan, if you're reading this, HOW THE HELL COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?! Just stop your   
story there, I swear... ^-^  
Well, nothing more to say. Post chapter author's rant to follow, so, yeah, chat atcha then!  
  
~Minagi (wow, don't I sound just so edumacated today?...aiiiiii)  
  
  
"Mihoshi…" Ryoko whispered, distraught. Everyone's gaze slowly crept to her, and she faintly   
reddened. Her palms were glossed with sweat, and they stuck to Ryo-ohki's soft fur. Wiping her   
brow with the back of her hand, she looked up.  
  
"Ryoko…" Tenchi said. "How did…no…he's-"  
  
"Dead?" she interrupted. "Yes, that is true, but his grudge against this family, against me,   
brought his spirit back. He's been feeding off Kyoko's energy and using her to try to kill me.   
I guess my stupidity held it off for a while…"  
  
"But…but…but…" the successor was lost for words. Kagato? There was no way! Tenchi himself had   
killed the man not more than two years ago, how could he be behind this?  
  
As if reading his mind, Ryoko continued in a voice barely above a whisper.  
  
"He's got full control of her now, which gives him enough power to create a form of his own."  
  
"How do you know this for sure?" Aeka questioned, sobbing. Kagato had her sister…her little   
Sasami. How she hated this cruel world.  
  
"Remember, I'm the one he controlled for years unending. I should have seen this sooner. He   
had told me everything in so many ways. He gave me my nightmares, he let me feel his presence a   
number of times. I should have thought it strange that Kyoko knew exactly where I was, and knew   
exactly how to hack into GP files. Hell, Kagato had been doing that for years." The demon   
paused for a moment to regain her breath and think if there was anything else to say. "I should   
have seen it when Kyoko began to sing 'Autumn of Life'. I never told anyone about the day that   
I stopped playing the organ. Tenchi, you were the first; yet she seemed to know about it   
very well."  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi sighed, exasperated, "why didn't you tell us sooner?"  
  
"I didn't know until this morning, when I realized 'Rei' and 'Kyoko' were one in the same."  
  
"But you still knew before any of us!"  
  
Emotions overwhelmed the cyan beauty as silent tears traced crystal paths down the sides of her   
face. She attempted to hide them, knowing she couldn't.  
  
"I kept saying to myself that it was for your own sake," she said, voice trembling. "But the   
truth is…I was terrified. I didn't want it to be true."  
  
Tenchi moved to comfort Ryoko, but she met him halfway there. She wrapped her free arm around   
his shoulders, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He gently rubbed her back in a   
comforting manner as she cried.  
  
"I'm such a fool," she whimpered, sorrow strangling her words.  
  
"We will make it through this," he promised. Though the comment was directed to the one in his   
arms, he meant it for everyone. He wouldn't let his family be destroyed, no matter what it took.  
  
~*~  
  
November 12 dawned cold and gray with rolling clouds and screaming wind. Ryoko sat beside her   
window, silent on the outside. Inside, she was a destroyed battlefield after World War III.   
There had been no sign of little Sasami, and her nightmares had all but stopped. Now, with the   
truth embedded in her mind, nothing relieved her of the burden she carried.  
  
"Miya?"  
  
Ryoko's attention was drawn away from thought when her companion nudged her ankle, asking for   
attention. She picked Ryo-ohki up and set her back down in her lap.  
  
"You miss Sasami, too, huh?" the summoner asked, absentmindedly scratching the cabbit's ears.   
She lay her head against the cool surface of the glass, relaxing her eyelids.  
  
"I hate this, Ryo-ohki," she whispered. "Everything would be so much easier if I hadn't been so   
stupid and ignorant. We don't know where Kyoko and Kagato are hiding, I can't contact Washuu,   
and there's a slim to none chance that Sasami-chan's even alive."  
  
Ryo-ohki nipped her master's thumb. Ryoko opened her eyes and looked down, and the creature   
placed her paw in the oni's hand. "Miya miya myaaa?"  
  
"Yeah, slim just ran out the door." Ryo-ohki's face fell.  
  
"Mew."  
  
"And just to make matters worse, I really don't know where to stand on this. I want to trust   
Tenchi's promise that we'll get through this, but that's just it. I want to. I love him, I'd   
die for him, but I find it hard to believe his words. If he couldn't fully destroy Kagato   
before with the Light Hawk Wings, I don't know how he can do it this time around."  
  
"Miya miyaa mya miyaaa?"  
  
"No, I know of no way to destroy spirits."  
  
At her words, Tenchi stumbled into the room, freezing and exhausted. He had been out all night   
searching for clues of Sasami's whereabouts and had gotten no sleep what so ever. He collapsed   
on the couch, dropping the flashlight from his hands.  
  
"Damn it!" he hissed through clenched teeth, "Nothing all night! Did anything happen here?"  
  
Ryoko sighed heavily, getting up and setting Ryo-ohki on the ground. She walked uneasily over   
to his side and sat down. He turned to face her, and noticed her clouded eyes reflected the   
tiredness that he felt.  
  
"Mihoshi woke up every half hour, asking me to get her a glass of water. That girl has a   
bladder the size of the Pacific Ocean, I swear."  
  
Tenchi smiled; an act she returned.  
  
"Nothing, then?" he asked.  
  
The cyan beauty shook her head. She stared at her hands, which were hanging on to the mint   
green material of her dress with a death grip.  
  
"Ryoko-chan?" the successor whispered, catching her attention. He knew she was scared to death,   
so he raised to a sitting position and placed his hands on either side of her face. Gently, he   
kissed her lips, which she responded to with her own gratefulness. Then, leaning his forehead a  
gainst hers, he took hold of her hands. "I will protect you," he said simply, staring into her   
eyes.  
  
Ryoko was lost in the moment. All that was happening was no more, and only they existed in the   
world. A true happiness arose in her for the first time in what seemed like forever. She let   
go of his hands and embraced him, laying her head against his chest.  
  
"I love you," she mumbled after a few minutes. The rhythmic beating of his heart had been   
slowly lulling her into sleep.  
  
"Waaaaaaahhhh!!! Oh, you two are so sweeeeeet!!!!" Mihoshi bawled as she surveyed the scene she   
had walked in on and had been quietly watching since the beginning.  
  
The young couple jumped in surprise when they suddenly found they had an audience, clearing the   
couch by a good six centimeters.  
  
"Holy shit, Mihoshi!" Ryoko cried out, trying to regain her composure and tame her hair, which   
was sticking straight up on her head. When she finally had settled enough to speak again, she   
glared at the blonde cop, who had been hovering in the doorway. "Do you need another glass of   
water?"  
  
Mihoshi gave an innocently thoughtful look. "No, actually I have to pee, but I just couldn't   
help but hear you guys." With that, she quickly backtracked out of the room and darted into the   
bathroom.  
  
"She had to pee?" Tenchi questioned stupidly.  
  
Ryoko looked up into his face, and the two made eye contact. All was still and quiet for a   
moment as they held their gaze. Then, without warning, they burst into uncontrollable laughter.  
  
"Mihoshi had to pee!" Ryoko choked, overcome with giggles.  
  
The door to their apartment opened with a loud crash, bringing the momentary fun to a sudden   
halt. Fuming and on the verge of hysterical tears, Aeka stormed into the room, closely pursued   
by Kiyone.  
  
"Aeka, I'm sorry!" the cop was saying. She looked desperate to get some kind of point across   
and kept following the heiress around.  
  
"I'm not blaming you, Kiyone-san! It's that sick bastard that I want to kill!"  
  
"Anything, Kiyone?" Tenchi intervened.  
  
"Absolutely nothing!" Aeka shouted in answer. "God, my little sister's gone and I don't know   
what to do! I don't know whether the next person to talk to me is going to be hit with tears or   
with my fist!"  
  
Ryoko strode over in front of the princess.  
  
"Aeka…" she whispered.  
  
Aeka, unthinking, lashed out with a closed hand, and Ryoko calmly maneuvered so the punch missed   
her face by mere millimeters. The two stared each other down, only this time it wasn't a   
competition. Finally, Aeka couldn't take it any longer. She fell to her knees in heart   
wrenching sobs.  
  
The demon knelt beside her and let herself be embraced and cried into.  
  
"How can you be so brave, Ryoko?" Aeka asked, letting her tears stain the pink cloth covering   
her rival's shoulder. But for once, Aeka couldn't feel any hatred toward the one who had   
destroyed her life centuries before. She felt that Ryoko was the only one she could turn to.  
  
Ryoko smiled despite the situation. "Princess, I'm anything but brave. I'm scared out of my   
life."  
  
"Ryoko-chan?" Tenchi said, taking a step toward the two. He was stopped when his love held up   
her hand.  
  
"If you must know, Aeka," she continued in a gentle yet slightly guilty tone, "I'm finding that   
I have no faith left. I listen to Tenchi's promises that everything will be all right, but I   
just can't seem to make myself believe them."  
  
"But…you're the one who always knew what I should do!" Aeka insisted, shocked that her only   
source of hope couldn't help her.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I just don't know what to do, except…except be here for you. I know how cheesy   
that sounds, but that's all I have left."  
  
The child of the first crown looked up into the face of her consultant. She hiccuped as the   
rain continued to fall from her swollen, bloodshot eyes.  
  
"Can you promise me that?"  
  
Ryoko raised her hand and nervously ran it through her cyan mane. She looked outside the   
balcony door at the charcoal gray clouds that hovered tauntingly in the sky.  
  
Sighing deeply, she replied, "I can't promise anything, but I can sure as hell try. Now, up.   
You need rest; we all do."  
  
She slowly stood, and helped Aeka to follow.  
  
Stumbling and still hiccuping, Aeka shuffled down the hallway and to her room. When the door   
shut behind her, Ryoko turned quietly to the remaining three family members.  
  
"So we rest and search again later," she shrugged.  
  
Kiyone, Mihoshi (who had once again entered the situation without anyone's knowing), and Tenchi   
stared at her. They couldn't believe what had just happened. They knew that Ryoko was the one   
Aeka ran to when she needed help, but never had anyone born witness to it.  
  
When Mihoshi finally found her voice, it came out in an astonished squeak.  
  
"Wow, Ryoko-san! That was really beautiful!"  
  
Ryoko's cheeks acquired a tinge of pink in them. Then, stretching and yawning greatly, she   
slowly made her way to her own room, ready to hit the futon and hit it hard. The stresses of   
the day were weighing down on her to the point where she didn't care if she had another   
nightmare or not, as long as she could sleep.  
  
"I'm off to bed," she mumbled, waving her hand for no real reason at all.  
  
~*~  
  
The heat of flames, the taste of blood, visions of the past, all overlapping. As the colors   
blended together in a sickening way, two burning infernos stared at Ryoko, penetrating her very   
heart. They dared her to live and condemned her to die.  
  
"Kyoko…" she whispered to the girl who stood before her.  
  
Kyoko's flashed a wicked smile as she drew forth her sword. Her hair was no longer black but   
its natural crimson red, and the dimmed aura of her blade illuminated her white skin, giving her   
appearance a haunting look.  
  
Ryoko created her own weapon of defense, though she had no intention of using it on her friend.  
  
When I see Kagato, I'm gonna beat the shit outta him.  
  
"Having trouble finding me, Ryoko?" Kagato's voice rang out, an evil memory Ryoko had tried her   
hardest to forget. "You've grown soft in the past seven hundred years, and that little bastard   
hasn't helped, now has he?"  
  
"Don't you DARE speak about Tenchi like that!" the demon screamed to her surroundings.  
  
"Shut up!" her master ordered as Kyoko raised her hand, palm facing out.  
  
Ryoko doubled over in pain, her gem glowing emerald green. She grabbed her head as it pulsated.   
It felt like her sense of control was being sucked out of her. She was becoming an empty shell   
with no soul, no life, no reason to live.  
  
A looming figure came down upon Ryoko and stood above her, staring disgustedly out of a pair of   
narrow, golden eyes. Kagato grabbed her by the nape of the neck and threw her backwards onto   
her elbows.  
  
She looked at his towering form and found herself terrified. The thought that her best friend   
could subconsciously conjure something so overpowering made her visibly shiver.  
  
"I may be physically dead, Ryoko," he sneered, lip curling upwards, "but I can still punish you,   
as you have found." He spun around to face his newest toy, who was posed in her fighting   
stance, ready to do anything her master told her to do.  
  
At the snap of his fingers, Kyoko suddenly disappeared and reappeared, kneeling behind Ryoko.   
She grabbed the oni around the neck and brought her sword dangerously close to its skin. Ryoko   
could feel the heat burning her flesh, and she watched as tiny black sparks jumped from the   
blade. Much closer and her head would be decapitated.  
  
"I want to teach you something, as I did in the old days," the white hared pirate boomed, back   
still turned as he studied the images that flashed around him. "An unstable mind is always one   
to find if you want control. How do you think I managed to take your dear friend here?"  
  
Ryoko gasped as Kyoko tightened her hold on her throat.  
  
"Yes, yes, Kyoko was very unstable indeed. I dare say she was missing you and wondering what   
made you run from her. She never really got over that terrible explosion. Of course, I don't   
blame her. You detonated the bomb after you saw a shadow."  
  
Kagato gave his students a profile of his face, and his sly smile froze Ryoko's blood in her   
veins.  
  
"H-how…" she began.  
  
"-did I know? You are a fool."  
  
"Think, Ryoko," Kyoko snarled into her prisoner's ear.  
  
Carefully, the summoner turned her head to the side and focused on the visions that made up her   
surroundings. One particular picture caught her eye.  
  
It was the memory of what Ryoko had seen the day of the explosion. The black crystal corridor   
leading to the Sureiyaa's control room had been completely empty and eerie. It had creeped the   
pirate out, and no matter how hard she had tried, she hadn't been able stop herself from looking   
back multiple times. When she saw the shadow, it had come out of nowhere. Back then she didn't   
recognize it, but now that she was reflecting on it…  
  
"Kagato…you bastard!" she screamed.  
  
Kagato laughed. "Yes, I was searching for the daughter of the great genius Washuu even then.   
How convenient it was that you fell straight into my hands only days after the 'accident'."  
  
"I'm gonna kill you!" Ryoko screamed as she struggled against Kyoko's powerful hold. It seemed   
as though not only did Kyoko have her own energy, she was also backed by Kagato's.  
  
Everything around the three suddenly went pitch black except for the light from Kyoko's sword.   
Ryoko couldn't see what was happening, though she could feel her partner still holding her down.  
  
"Ryoko, I have something you might be interested in," Kagato leered.  
  
The cyan fiend heard a soft groan followed by a few choked cries. There was rustling, like   
someone was trying to free themselves of their bindings and a loud thump. Then, nothing.  
  
"Help me, Tsunami," came a small voice.  
  
"Sasami-chan!" Ryoko yelled. She winced as tall black flames sprang up in the darkness. Lying   
in front of her feet was the princess's tiny form. Sasami was curled up in a ball, and from the   
looks of it was having trouble breathing. "Sasami!"  
  
Sasami raised her head from the ground and stared at her friend out of dull pink eyes. She had   
barely any life left.  
  
"Ryoko oneechan…help me…"  
  
The demon felt Kyoko release her and disappear, and she immediately scrambled over to the little   
girl. Picking her up in her arms, she held her close, and Sasami wrapped her shaking arms   
around Ryoko's stomach.  
  
"It's all right, sweetheart. It's okay."  
  
"It was Kagato! It was-"  
  
"I know, I know," Ryoko interrupted, placing her finger over Sasami's quivering lips.  
  
"Ryoko, you're still hurt…" Sasami whispered, running her finger down the rugged and stained   
cloth of Ryoko's navy blue waistband.  
  
The demon caller made no response. The flames around them had begun to close in, and Ryoko   
tightened her grasp on the child.  
  
"Sasami will die…"  
  
Ryoko spun wildly around to see who had spoken, and she found herself staring upwards yet again   
at Kyoko's ghostly pale face. It smiled wickedly at her; she was thirsting for blood.  
  
The possessed woman raised her sword into the air and brought it swiftly down on her friend.   
The blade sliced through the air, screaming as it quickly descended.  
  
The last thing Ryoko saw before she was hit was a darkened and destroyed room with shattered   
windows and broken desks. Screams echoed throughout her mind as two blazing eyes hovered in the   
center of the debris…  
  
  
Ryoko sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. She was gasping for air and shivering,   
the screaming voices lingering in her ears. The dream had been so real. She swore she had   
actually heard Kagato's voice, felt Sasami in her arms, heard the sword cut the air in half as   
it came down on her…  
  
Her hand shot up to her shoulder and she felt a new incision, though this one wasn't as severe   
as the last. The baby pink vest and green material was shredded with blood trails running down   
each scrap.  
  
"Tenchi…" she gulped. When he didn't respond, she called it out.  
  
Two minutes later, the prince stumbled into the room, awakened by his girlfriend's cry.  
  
"Whu is iiiiiiiioly shit…" he babbled, slapped violently in the face by the scene he was viewing.   
He ran over to Ryoko's side and took to examining her wound.  
  
Once he had managed to clear enough of the blood and cloth away, he found a semi-narrow cut   
stretching from the top of Ryoko's left shoulder to her shoulder blade. It didn't look very   
deep, but from the way Ryoko cringed every time he touched the area around it, it must've hurt.  
  
"Tenchi, stop!" she gasped as he prodded her injury for the seventh or eighth time.  
  
He jerked his hand away from her back at the sharpness of her words. "Sorry."  
  
She turned to face him and smiled. "It's okay. I just wanted to tell you something."  
  
Tenchi settled by Ryoko's side before motioning for her to continue.  
  
"In my dream tonight-"  
  
"Today, Ryoko. It's seven-thirty in the evening."  
  
"Whatever. In my dream, I figured out that it was Kagato that scared me and made me detonate   
the bomb years ago at the bank."  
  
"When you and Kyoko were separated?"  
  
"Exactly. And in the end I saw where Kyoko, Kagato, and Sasami were, and Sasami's alive!"  
  
Tenchi's breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened in surprise. He opened and closed his   
mouth several times, searching for the right words and giving himself a "fish out of water" look.   
Finally, he settled with:  
  
"She…she's alive?"  
  
"Yes, but only just."  
  
"Well, where is she?!"  
  
"In the classroom at school."  
  
"I think Aeka checked there already."  
  
The summoner shook her head. "That may be," she said, "but she couldn't have been able to get   
inside. It's closed for damage repairs. Apparently Kyoko did more than we realized. Besides,   
everyone was so scared to go back-"  
  
"-they closed it," Tenchi finished, understanding.  
  
Then, when this had sunk in, the successor quickly got up and dashed to the door. Ryoko rose as   
fast as she could, which she found wasn't very. Her injuries were getting the best of her, but   
she followed anyway.  
  
"I'll tell Aeka, you get Kiyone and Mihoshi," she directed. "We meet in the front hall in five   
minutes, got it?"  
  
Tenchi shook his head in agreement, and the two departed for their given destinations.  
  
  
"Princess…" Ryoko whispered when she phased into being in Aeka's room. She floated over to   
Aeka's bedside and sat down. "Wake up."  
  
Aeka's face scrunched up when Ryoko ran the tip of her finger down the bridge of her nose.  
  
"Donn…datticklez," she mumbled, swatting at the pirate's hand.  
  
"Aeka, get up," Ryoko gently ordered. "We're going to find your sister."  
  
Slowly, the heiress opened her bright red eyes. She had no idea how much time had passed since   
she fell asleep. Last thing she could remember was her head hitting the pillow. She turned to   
look at the person who had awakened her.  
  
"Whut time iz it?" she said, still having troubles speaking. Her vision was having some   
problems as well, she couldn't seem to focus on anything. The blurs and blobs of her room were   
undulating like a ship on tormented water.  
  
"7:30 at night. Now, come on. I know where Sasami is."  
  
Suddenly, Aeka was wide awake. She shot straight up in bed and stared at Ryoko.  
  
"You know where Sasami is, Ryoko?"  
  
The demon smiled and offered her hand. "That's what I just said, isn't it?"  
  
Aeka took Ryoko's hand and attempted to get up, but found herself fading out halfway through.  
  
No matter how many times Ryoko took the princess with her when she teleported, Aeka could never   
get over the sensation. She always felt as though her body was quickly being taken over by   
nothingness. And during that short and sweet nanosecond when she didn't physically exist, she   
felt what it was like to fly.  
  
And then she'd land back in reality, usually on her butt. This time was no exception.  
  
Rubbing her butt bone in pain, Aeka glared up at Ryoko, who was casually leaning against the   
wall, waiting for the others.  
  
"You know, I would greatly appreciate it if you told me when you were going to do that!"  
  
"Mm-hm…" Ryoko said, paying her no attention.  
  
"Ryoko, are you listening to me?!"  
  
"Uh…yeah, sure, whatever." She was clearly thinking about something else.  
  
Aeka's face puffed up in anger. She balled up her fist and got up off the floor, growling. She   
took in a deep breath, preparing to unleash her patent "First Crown Nuclear Explosion", when all   
of the sudden…  
  
BAM!!!  
  
Ryoko grimaced.  
  
"Mihoshi! Wall!"  
  
Seconds later, Mihoshi stumbled through the family room exit, massaging her nose and forehead,   
which had turned bright magenta.  
  
"Ouch…thanks, Ryoko-san…ow!"  
  
Kiyone followed her partner into the room, shaking her head in annoyance. Tenchi was behind   
her, trying his hardest to hold back his immature laughter.  
  
"Mihoshi," Kiyone said as calmly as she could, despite the fact that there was a vein popping   
out in her head and her right eyebrow was twitching, "how many times are you going to run into   
that wall before you realize it's there?!"  
  
"I dunnoooooo, I'm sorrrrrriiiiieeeeeee!!!" Mihoshi wailed in response.  
  
"Sheesh, Mihoshi, with all the crying and banging you do, I'm surprised we haven't been evicted   
again, but I guess that's the good thing about alternative dimensions: the people here are deaf!"  
  
"Aaaw, Kiyone, I don't mean anything by it…"  
  
The teal hared cop shook her head again, rubbing her eyes in minor distress. "Aaii," she   
sighed, "I know you don't."  
  
"Tenchi, have you briefed them on the situation?" Ryoko asked, shifting the conversation topic.  
  
The boy shook his head, taking up position next to his girlfriend. "No, I figured that it'd be   
better if you did. You know more than me."  
  
Ryoko nodded. Then, turning to the rest of the group, she said, "Right, I'll explain on the   
way."  
  
  
"Ryoko-san, I noticed your shoulder," Mihoshi commented, teeth chattering. The darkness had   
settled over Tokyo, bringing the temperature down to just below freezing. And though she had   
her own down jacket and was taking refuge by her partner's side, she still found herself   
shivering violently. "What ha-happened?"  
  
Ryoko snickered. Everyone seemed clustered together in attempt to conserve body heat. Everyone,   
that is, except Ryoko herself, who lead the way along the road with the streetlights as her guide and no coat on her shoulders. She kept throwing out sadistic comments such as, "Damn, I'm hot" and "I feel like an oven". In truth, she wasn't hot or cold, her remarks were merely successful attempts at pissing everyone off.  
"That's why I drug you all out here," she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. She was trying   
her hardest to avoid thinking of what she was about to face: nothing less than death itself. "I   
had another dream ("Ohhh," Mihoshi said in understanding.), and it told me where Sasami, Kyoko,   
and Kagato are."  
  
"And-d that wou-would be?" Kiyone's teeth clinked together with every word.  
  
The demon caller stopped suddenly in front of a large, two-and-a-half-meter high stone wall and   
looked up. The loud gong of the school bell signaled eight, and the trees rustled in fear.  
  
The tall, ominous building that lay beyond the wall stood silently, consumed by its aura of   
hatred and evil. It loomed, laughing as the leaves of the trees whispered warnings of the danger   
within.  
  
"Don't go in…" they sighed. "Do not cross that line of safety, for you will not return…"  
  
"But I must," Ryoko quietly responded. A howling gust of wind picked up, bringing with it the   
cries of the death that hid inside the school. She closed her eyes, knowing what she was to do,   
and she breathed deeply the air.  
  
"Hey, Ryoko?"  
  
She turned to face Tenchi, who was looking at her with concern. "Scared?"  
  
She smirked. "What was your first clue, the fact that I started talking to the wind or the fact   
that right now I seem to be frozen in my spot?"  
  
"The school?" Aeka squeaked, stepping forward. "Inside?"  
  
"Yeah, Princess, inside. Now, step back."  
  
The summoner raised her hands far above her head, and an orangy-red light appeared in between   
them. It was small and faint at first, but it gradually got larger and brighter as more power   
was gathered. Finally, when it had grown to almost a foot in diameter, Ryoko's arms shot down   
and out, sending it crashing into the stone barrier.  
  
The thick wall exploded in an instant. Shards set off flying in random directions, and a   
suffocating cloud of dust billowed out from the remains.  
  
The group covered their faces with their coats, coughing and flinching as chunks of stone slapped   
at them. They waited for mother nature to clear their path through the freshly made hole in the   
wall. As though responding to them, the smoke diminished, leaving behind the ruins of what once   
was proud, protective rock.  
  
  
Ryoko placed her hands gently against the tall, steel and glass doors that separated the outside   
from the inside, sighing. This was it. This is where it was going to end. When she opened that   
door, she had to be prepared for anything and everything. She knew she couldn't just go straight   
in with her head held high and expect to win. What she was up against yielded far more power   
than she did; she couldn't let her pride get in her way like she had during her last face off   
with her old master.  
  
Of course, she could have already been inside looking for the bastard, but Aeka had, for some   
reason, smashed her idea of teleportation straight into the ground at first mention. Ryoko had   
tried to argue, but as she had learned in the past, no one fights with Aeka when she's cold…or   
when she's hot…or when she's breathing.  
  
So, instead, she was forced to go the long way. Trapping the frozen air inside her lungs, she   
pushed against the door and found it locked.  
  
"Shit," the demon caller breathed through clenched teeth. She didn't really want to have to go   
destructive again, but it appeared she had no choice. She raised her fist in preparation to   
smash the glass, but it was caught by Mihoshi.  
  
"Why don't you just walk through the door and unlock it from the inside?"  
  
Ryoko blinked. Mihoshi had a decent idea. Mihoshi. There had to be something wrong with the   
plan.  
  
"Mihoshi," Kiyone piped up, "she doesn't have the keys."  
  
"Aaaw, and it was a good idea, too," Mihoshi sniffed. Kiyone smiled.  
  
"Well, that I'll give you credit for."  
  
"Gee, thanks-"  
  
Their conversation was brought to a sudden halt when Ryoko struck out and shattered the glass   
door into pieces. It scattered inwards onto the cold tile floor of the school, clashing with   
the ground and echoing along the long, locker-filled hallway.  
  
  
In the very last room off the front corridor, a girl tossed her crimson hair as she sat on one   
of the only desks that had remained in tact after her outbreak. Her left hand held tightly to   
the black sword hilt she had been given by her master, her right hand supported her body weight   
as she leaned back. She was getting bored of waiting, and wondering if the "goddamn defect", as   
Kagato had put it to her, had gotten the message she had sent through nightmare.  
  
True, Sasami was alive, but Ryoko didn't realize that it was only because the princess's life was   
being used to lure her. Kyoko guessed Kagato would dispose of the child as soon as everyone   
arrived.  
  
A loud crash reached her ears, and the pirate immediately recognized it to be the shattering of   
glass. Ryoko had found her, finally. She groaned heavily as she slid off the desktop to her   
feet. Adjusting her black and silver battle suit, she cracked her neck a couple of times and   
waited.  
  
She began to pick up muffled voices that grew slowly louder as her prey drew near. She glanced   
down at her weapon, turning it over and over in her fingers. This would bring the downfall of   
her worst enemy tonight. The enemy she didn't know why she hated so deeply. It was what her   
controller had ordered, what he had taught her and etched into the deepest crevices of her mind   
and soul.  
  
She wouldn't form the blade. Not yet, not right away.  
  
Her eyes began to glow dimly as she looked up and saw their faces. All pale in the darkness.   
That is, all but Ryoko's. Hers couldn't even fit the description of "pale". It was as though   
all her skin color left her face and entered her golden eyes. Even in the blackness they flashed   
like fire.  
  
"Well, well, well," Kyoko spat sarcastically, "bad dream, Ryoko?"  
  
Ryoko growled menacingly at her. The raven hared killer found it to be quite funny, and she   
chuckled.  
  
"Oh my, oh my, child. Such a bad temper."  
  
"Shut up, Kyoko," Ryoko ordered angrily. "Where the hell is Kagato?"  
  
Kyoko pretended to casually look at her nails, which at the moment were completely covered by   
silver cloth. "He's not here right now, can I take a message?" she said in a laid back voice.  
  
Ryoko's fingers clenched together in a fist, yet they remained set solidly by her side.  
  
"You bitch."  
  
"Where is my sister?" Aeka chipped in before Kyoko could respond with a comment that would make   
Ryoko go ballistic.  
  
Kyoko grinned. This was going to be a fun a day. The huntress had driven her game into a trap.  
She wouldn't fail. She wouldn't lose. This battle was hers.  
  
They were all agitated and scared, she saw. They knew they were looking death in the eye. And   
Ryoko? Well, the pain and loss of blood would soon get to her.  
  
"How can you expect to win coming into a fight like this?" she asked.  
  
Aeka made a desperate attempt to break from the group, and had to be held back as various   
obscenities flew out of her mouth. Kyoko laughed as she watched the fuming women, hardly a   
princess anymore, struggle against her bindings. Her plan to rile them up was going all too well.  
  
"Not to worry, Aeka. I do suppose you'll be able to say goodbye before my master slays your   
sister," she sneered maliciously. Then, as she sensed Kagato's presence, she dropped to her   
knees and bowed her head in respect.  
  
"Excellent work, Kyoko," he said, peering down at his servant's back.  
  
Aeka quickly ceased her fighting when she heard the enemy's statement. She looked up to see   
Kagato, in all his evil glory, towering over Kyoko. She couldn't help but admire the female   
pirate's loyalty, how it seemed unbreakable as she knelt at her controller's feet.  
  
The princess noticed how Kyoko's hair covered her face as it fell to the ground, like rivers of   
blood from the darkness of an open wound. She was like a mystery, a safe, with so many secrets   
hidden deep within. There had to be a way to break the seal.  
  
"Preoccupied?" Kagato smiled as he watched Aeka's red eyes linger over Kyoko's tired yet   
dangerous and strong form. Kyoko quietly raised her head to stare emotionlessly up at the group.  
She locked her gaze with the heiress, who shuddered as a sense of bloodthirsty flames entwined her spine in its hatred.  
Kyoko wanted to kill them. To torture them. To feel their lives cease to be. Aeka turned away.  
  
"Where is my sister?" she asked.  
  
"Ahh, yes, the little one."  
  
Kagato snapped his white-gloved fingers, and Sasami's tiny body faded into being.  
  
The child lay lifeless on the ground, curled tightly in the fetal position. Bright black and   
blue bruises on her arms, face, and throat, and large rips and tears in her dress suggested that   
she had either fought to free herself or had not been handled gently. Most likely both.  
  
"Sasami-chan!" Aeka called out. She ran from the protection of her family to her sister's side.  
  
Ryoko closely followed her rival, ignoring the bolts of pain coming from her shoulder. She knelt  
beside Aeka and reached out to touch Sasami's face. Carefully, she brushed aside the little   
princess's bangs to reveal a black and swollen right eye. Sasami was almost frozen in time.   
Much longer and she'd be dead.  
  
The demon stood, and as she did so did Kyoko. In unison they drew their swords, glaring at each   
other.  
  
"Stop this Kagato," Ryoko demanded, though she held her gaze with her partner. "Let Kyoko go   
and give us back Sasami!"  
  
Kagato was amused. "Now, Ryoko, you know me better than that."  
  
"Not something I'm proud of."  
  
"Kagato…" Tenchi sneered as he came up beside Ryoko.  
  
The cyan beauty turned around to face him and opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped   
immediately as Aeka screamed her name and she was pummeled in the side of the head.  
  
She hit the ground with a crash as a swift, silent black streak landed in front of her.  
  
Kyoko.  
  
Blood dripped from the murderer's sword hilt over her silver hands. The same blood that fell   
from the fresh wound that ran from just below Ryoko's jaw to her hairline. It rushed along the   
side of her face and neck and into her mouth and eyes. The irony taste tackled her taste buds   
then exploded, and she was forced to blink several times to clear her reddened vision.  
  
Kyoko laughed madly before turning her attention to Tenchi and smiling. "Let the battle   
commence, boy..."  
  
~Notes from that pain in the butt who calls herself Minagi~  
I have a good start on the next part, but I have finals this week, so I don't know how much I'll   
get done. I'll try my best. Ah! No room left, gotta go! R&R please!  
~Minagi 


	14. Spirits of the Past Part Two: As Long as...

~Notes from Minagi~  
  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I should be studying for finals, but you know what? SCREW IT! I'd   
rather write. There's really not much to say here except this is just part two of the second to   
last chapter. This is not the last chapter! This part and last part count as one chapter, and   
next chapter will be the epilogue. Just to tell you.  
Oh, yeah. I'm thinking of doing a sequel to this story, but I need you to tell me if I should   
or not. Well, no, let me rephrase that. I'm GOING to do a sequel, but I need your opinion on   
whether or not I should post it. Oh, hell, just read and review with your answer, that's easy   
enough.  
  
You know, I need serious help. Hee hee.  
  
~Minagi  
  
PS I put those funky little "~" things around the "voices" Kyoko hears…you'll get it in a bit…  
because it gets kind of difficult to tell them apart from regular dialogue. Just something to   
keep in mind as you read on farther into the chapter.  
  
  
Ryoko felt completely useless. She couldn't find the strength inside of her to get up. Her   
wounds had taken their final toll on her. She was stuck on the sidelines as Tenchi single-  
handedly took on Kyoko. The Tenchi-ken wasn't strong enough, and the prince was quickly losing.  
  
She tried to rise to her hands and knees, but her shoulder gave out. She shuddered as a hand   
was placed gently on her back. Wiping her eyes of blood, she saw Aeka, who had drug Sasami over   
to Mihoshi and Kiyone and had come back for her.  
  
"Come on," Aeka whispered, glaring daggers and curses at Kagato, who was watching her every move. Skillfully, she wrapped one arm around Ryoko's waist and lifted. Then, placing her other hand against the demon's chest, she was able to stand Ryoko uneasily on her feet.  
  
"Aeka, I have to-"  
  
"Quiet, Ryoko! Just cooperate with me." Aeka's voice was cold as ice, quite the opposite of   
her actions. Her touch was soft, like a mother's comfort after picking her child up when they   
fell into the dirt. "You're in no condition to fight."  
  
"But I-"  
  
"No."  
  
The heiress guided her rival over to the corner. She was proud of herself. All those times   
Ryoko had been there for her, finally she was provided with the chance to do the same.   
Carefully setting the pirate down beside Mihoshi, who was tending to Sasami, she turned to   
Kiyone.  
  
"You ready, Kiyone-san?"  
  
Kiyone grinned and drew her blaster as Aeka transformed into her battle armor. "Let's kick some  
ass."  
  
"Aeka-sama, Kiyone-chan?" Mihoshi spoke up. The two looked at her, their faces showing their   
readiness to help end it all. "Be careful. We'll make it through this."  
  
Kiyone smiled. "Thanks, Mihoshi."  
  
"Hmph, so sentimental," Kagato sneered as he snuck up on the group.  
  
Aeka turned around and tried to think of something rude and sarcastic to say in reply, but found   
it to be more difficult to do than she thought it would be. After all, she wasn't Ryoko. So   
she settled with a large blast of emerald energy, which Kagato dodged easily.  
  
The pirate's laugh reverberated along the walls and the spines of all who heard it.  
  
"Well, Princess, I see you haven't changed a bit," he said. He raised his hand and smiled, as a   
large ball of florescent energy he had taken from Kyoko began forming. "However, I have   
changed. I don't need the gems any-"  
  
His statement was abruptly cut short when Kiyone fired her blaster. He tried to shield himself   
with his hands, quickly forgetting the attack he was forming. The collision of the two spheres   
of energy created such a bright explosion that Kagato himself, Aeka, and Kiyone were temporarily   
blinded.  
  
Aeka and Kiyone both took advantage of the distracted Kagato and jumped to different sides,   
blinking spots of colors they never knew existed out of their eyes.  
  
"Nice shot, Kiyone," Aeka yelled over the cussing and ranting of their enemy. When no response   
came, she called the name again, trying to locate her partner in battle through the blinking   
spots and blurred shapes obscuring her vision.  
  
She saw a large, multicolored blob go flying through the air, and found herself admiring its   
speed. It hit the large mass Aeka could only guess was the wall and made a sickening crunching   
noise. Her eyes focused further and she saw there was nothing to be admired.  
  
It had been Tenchi, and he was out cold. A small trickle of blood fell from his slightly parted   
lips.  
  
"Tenchi!" she screamed, running to his side. She knelt beside him, but didn't get much further.  
  
"Aeka! Watch out!"  
  
Kiyone's voice rang out with fear, and the princess looked up to see the GP officer on her   
knees, trying and failing to cease the blood that fell from the fresh slice that extended the   
length of her arm.  
  
"To your right!" she desperately screamed again.  
  
Aeka's eyes shot to the side, and she cried out as they came to rest on Kyoko and Kagato, coming   
swiftly at her. Kyoko's sword was poised in a striking position, and hardly any of its surface   
remained blue. Now, it dripped scarlet with the blood of her enemies. Of Ryoko, of Tenchi, of   
Kiyone, and if the princess didn't move quickly, it would hold her own.  
  
But moving would expose Tenchi. Aeka couldn't do that. She wouldn't let Kyoko kill him.  
  
She flung herself across his chest in attempt to protect him, and listened to the approaching   
pirate. Kyoko was coming closer…  
  
Closer…  
  
"KYOKO, PLEASE!!!"  
  
The killer stopped suddenly, little under a meter away from her next victim. She spun on her   
heel to see who had called and found her master doing the same. Her eyes came to rest on Ryoko,   
who had shakily managed to raise to her knees.  
  
Though her blood had drenched almost half her body and pain cursed her every move, Ryoko   
couldn't let Kyoko kill Aeka and Tenchi. She'd die before they would, she told herself.  
  
"Stop. I don't want this to go on…"  
  
Kyoko blinked hesitantly. She stared at the demon and what little strength she had left. Ryoko   
wouldn't last much longer. Kyoko could easily finish her off right here and now. A simple   
sweep of her sword would end it all.  
  
But the raven's hungry side held her back. Seeing Ryoko suffer kept her going. Master's orders   
let Ryoko live a little while longer.  
  
~"But is that truly why?"~  
  
Kyoko's hesitation lengthened into a full-fledged stop.  
  
~"Do you really want to see her in pain?"~ A soft whisper in her ears. A buried memory. It   
came through the storm of her brain like static; two girls running through narrow, black crystal   
corridors. A flashing picture before Kyoko's eyes. It made no sense. She didn't understand.  
  
Yet a pulling inside her heart made her feel like she should. That image was supposed to mean   
something…but how could it?  
  
"Yes," she answered in monotone. "I want to see her bleed." Ryoko's pain gave her strength,   
and her strength gave her master power.  
  
"Kyoko, you're slacking," Kagato beat his way into her mind, his icy sneer winding it's way up   
her spine and quickly pushing away any doubt threatening his control. She looked at him   
questioningly, then nodded curtly and turned back to what she had been doing before.  
  
"I cannot hold back. I cannot end here."  
  
Kyoko raised her sword and prepared to continue her attack, but she found herself unable to   
move. It was as though her senses had amplified themselves to ten times their normal abilities,   
and she found herself uncomfortably aware of everything around her. Of the perspiration that   
gleamed on the cold skin of her face. She could hear the silent "drip, drip, drip" of Ryoko's   
blood splashing onto the ground. She could see Tenchi's every twitching movement as he slowly   
began to stir. She could feel her greatest foe sneaking up behind her, despite her brutal   
injuries.  
  
And though she couldn't see Kiyone, she could hear the cop forming the words that froze Kyoko's   
veins. A song.  
  
"Itsuka shiru toki ga kuru no? Mune no itami o. Soshite ima yori yasashiku naru no ne…"  
  
"Hiiru no Tsuki…" Kyoko mumbled.   
  
Inside her mind, a second buried memory resurfaced. The same two girls whom had run through the   
corridors were standing alone in a vast room. The details of the room remained fuzzy, but the   
girls' images were sharp and clear. Kyoko realized suddenly who they were. One had deep   
crimson and black tipped hair, bright violet eyes, and a black and silver dress. Her mouth was   
moving, but no sound came.  
  
Me…  
  
The second one, who was walking around the first, watching her with a grading eye, was none   
other than a younger…  
  
…Ryoko…  
  
Her cyan locks swayed with every step she took, and her golden eyes scanned Kyoko's movements in   
a judging manner. Suddenly, she stopped and raised her hand.  
  
The raven couldn't hear what was being said, but that didn't matter. She knew the exact words   
that were being used.  
  
"Kyoko, you're not giving it everything."  
  
"I'm sorry, Ryoko-chan! I'm trying!"  
  
"A little too hard. I've told you many times, when you sing, it must come from your heart…"  
  
"Master…I don't understand…what does this mean?" Kyoko said as the memory faded once again.   
Kagato made no response.  
  
Ryoko shakily stepped up in front of her friend. Carefully, she took Kyoko's hand in her own   
and moved it, pointing her lightning blue sword directly above her left breast, right at her   
heart. Tears streamed from her cat-like eyes as she saw the killer's own glowing orbs widen in   
shock.  
  
"Kill me, Kyoko," she ordered. "Kill me and let this be done. Don't hurt the others."  
  
Kyoko shook her head in horror and stumbled sideways, Kiyone's voice and Ryoko's words pounding   
in her ears. She dropped her sword and clutched her head, gasping as it pulsated.  
  
"Master…I…she…she must've…meant something to me! Sometime…somewhere…"  
  
Kagato stared at his servant as she lost control. He knew this was not a good thing. Without   
her power fueling him, he would be forced back inside her mind. She was more useful to him when   
he had a form of his own.  
  
"Kyoko," he growled, "fight it. Keep control. Remember that she is the enemy!"  
  
He made a move for Ryoko and poised his hand in striking position. Swiftly, he came down upon   
her like a hawk, but his fist went straight through her body. Kyoko had lost too much of her   
sanity to keep him in a physical body. He realized that his only hope of getting back at   
everyone was to either retreat, return to Kyoko's mind and regain control over her, then come   
back, or to make his toy do the job for him.  
  
"Kyoko, kill her!"  
  
~"She is not the enemy, Kyoko."~ The voice had returned to haunt Kyoko. The words echoed   
through her brain, squeezed her lungs of breath, shattered her heart, trying to reveal its true   
shape.  
  
Ryoko watched as her sister fell to the ground in fear and confusion. She wanted nothing more   
than to run over and hold Kyoko in her arms, to tell her everything would be all right. She   
wanted to be back on the Sureiyaa in the middle of the galaxy, feasting in the aftermath and   
adrenaline rush of a successful heist, the two of them side by side, hand in hand, once again.  
  
She fell on her knees, her legs no longer able to support her body, as she cried out again to be   
done with.  
  
"Kyoko! Please, just do it!" Her voice was little more than a meek whimper, but it was all   
that was needed to be heard.  
  
"I…can't!"  
  
"If it will stop this, Kyoko!"  
  
~"The way to stop this…"~  
  
Visions. The same two girls. Pictures. No, memories. They flashed like a computer screen in   
front of Kyoko's eyes. She was being blasted with the pain of not understanding. It was   
tearing at her heart and breaking her down.  
  
"Master!" she cried, but the word tasted sour. "Ryoko…the only way to stop this…"  
  
As long as I live… she mentally repeated to herself. As long as I live…! As long as I live…!  
  
~"Her blood will be shed."~  
  
As long as I live…  
  
~"Evil will prevail."~  
  
"Kyoko, what's going on?!" Tenchi had awakened. His voice was distant to her, like a fading   
light. Kyoko felt herself being shaken violently as a hazy black cloud filled her brain. She   
knew Kagato was returning to her head, against his will.  
  
As long as I live…  
  
Aeka's frantic face filled her blurred vision, scared and white. The princess shook the pirate   
again, afraid of losing her. Kyoko reached up and hastily grabbed her around the neck, pushing   
her away.  
  
The killer rolled onto her hands and knees, hand blindly searching for her sword.  
  
As long as I live…  
  
~"She will die…"~  
  
Her fingers curled tightly around the blackened hilt of her weapon as Kyoko rose to a standing   
position. She was ready. She would do what needed to be done. Gracefully gliding over to her   
victim, she raised the blade high into the air.  
  
"The only way to stop this," she whispered as she made eye contact with Ryoko, "is to die."  
  
It was all in slow motion. Kyoko's breath caught as she brought her weapon down on herself. It   
shattered the blue star on her chest as it tore through her skin, muscle, and ribcage, into her   
tattered heart. A final picture froze in front of her eyes, two girls, alone in the same room,   
Kyoko in the middle, Ryoko grading her movements.  
  
Finally it hit. The true Kyoko came through for a single second before her final breath escaped   
her lips in the words, "I…tsu…ka…" 


	15. Aftermath: The Final Dream

Never thought  
  
This day would come so soon.  
  
We had no time to say goodbye.  
  
How can the world just carry on?  
  
I feel so lost when you are not at my side.  
  
But there's nothing but silence now  
  
Around the one I loved.  
  
Is this our farewell?  
  
~*~  
  
November ended and December dawned, making its presence known with a rare and fresh blanket of crystal white snow. Everyone had returned from the alter-dimension safely, but from there, they quickly fell apart.  
  
Washuu had once again locked herself up in her lab, doing God only knows what. Tenchi began his own school again, and spent most of his day either there or at the shrine. Kiyone and Mihoshi seemed to separate themselves from the rest, and they spent their time in space. Sasami didn't know what to make of what all happened. She tried to be chipper, but, for the most part, it failed. Not because no one appreciated her attempts at perking them up, but because she just didn't know what to do. Aeka even seemed to be wrapped up in her own world. She was constantly lost in thought and heard mumbling angrily at herself. Many times, she was caught glaring up the stairs at the door to her foe's bedroom.  
  
But it was Ryoko who seemed to take it the hardest. She had barely come out of her room since the day they came back. Who could blame her? She had lived a large part of her life thinking she'd killed her best friend. Then, when one night she comes back, everything seemed so right. But all that ended in a single moment of sacrifice and pain. Everything came to a complete halt when Kyoko plunged her bright blue sword deep into her own chest, just to save Ryoko. The pirate felt as though her life was wasted.  
  
Now at the end of the first day of the month, Ryoko sat on her windowsill, watching the sunset, concealed in her own world by the Spartan red curtains that hung in front of the glass. Her eyes stung from the tears she had shed, and the fire they had held had long before grown weary and flickered out. Not even embers remained. It was all ashes; the ashes of her dying spirit. No more dreams, no more wishes, no more. How her heart ached for her friend to return to her, for her life to return to happiness.  
  
So many times she lie in bed, praying to fall asleep and awaken to Tenchi's soft whisper in her ears, his gentle caress along her skin, his deep and passionate kiss. She wanted that peacefulness to be shattered by Kyoko's loud and eager laugh, echoing up from the kitchen where she could be found sneaking samples of that morning's breakfast. She wanted to return to the past.  
  
But once again, it had been Kagato who had taken away the demoness's joys. Though he hadn't managed to complete his original task, he had still won the war. He had trampled on Ryoko's life when she had finally managed to begin piecing it back together again.  
  
"God damn you, Kagato," she growled in a husky voice. "God fucking damn you!" And she cried. Grasped her head in her hands and wept, nothing but dry tears to and a longing to slip into the final void inside.  
  
Sliding away from the window, the pirate dropped to the flaming silken sheets of her bed. She pulled from under her pillow a tiny black book and settled back on the mattress. With a heavy heart, she opened Kyoko's diary to the last entry and read. She had read the book thousands of times before, and could easily recite it by memory. But reading it gave her a sense that Kyoko was there.  
  
A knock on her door brought her away from the page three sentences in. She heard it quietly open, but did not turn to face the opener. She didn't feel much like talking to anyone right at that moment, nor had she for days. She just wanted to be left alone, and the prospect of being disturbed brought a flicker of anger to her senses.  
  
"Ryoko-chan?" Tenchi's timid voice reached Ryoko's ears. She remained unresponsive. "Dinner's ready, if you want it."  
  
The girl scowled. Inside she was screaming for his help, but she couldn't seem to express this. Regardless of what she wanted, she wouldn't let herself have it.  
  
"I'm not hungry," she spat.  
  
Tenchi flinched as the words clawed at his heart. Ryoko had been so cold towards him and the others since Kyoko's death. He had constantly heard the sounds of her muffled cries when he passed her room, but when he tried to consult her, she got angry with him. It scared him.  
  
"Ryoko, I'm worried about you."  
  
The demoness didn't answer. She didn't know how to. Her heart told her to run to him and cry into his shoulder. It told her to let go of her friend. Her mind, on the other hand, screamed at her to burst out in anger, to let everything out on him, to show him again just what bottled up stress and emotion does to her. It kept a hold of Kyoko with an everlasting grip.  
  
Like her hands on the diary. Her mind was obviously winning.  
  
"Please come down to din."  
  
"No," Ryoko sneered venomously. "I'm not hungry."  
  
Tenchi nodded sadly. He wasn't going to win. Cursing the gods, he shut her door and leaned against it helplessly.  
  
Ryoko-chan, he thought, I need your help. Please come back. The realization that Ryoko hadn't even so much as looked at him only hurt more. Sulking, he shuffled down the stairs, emitting an embarrassed "Oops" when he stumbled into Aeka halfway along.  
  
"I'm sorry, Aeka," he mumbled, eyes fixed at his feet.  
  
"It's all right, Tenchi," she replied.  
  
He started to step around her, but was stopped by her hand on his face. Gently, she raised his face to look into his eyes. He was hurt, and this angered her deeply. She was fed up with Ryoko. Giving Tenchi an uplifting smile, she dropped her hand and continued her ascent, the heaviness in her footfalls increasing.  
  
All right, Ryoko, I have had as much as I can take, she thought angrily, finding herself outside the pirate's door. She slid it open with a bang, watching as Ryoko jumped with a start. Forgetting all she had been taught about politeness and manners, she stormed into the room and stood haughtily above the bed.  
  
Ryoko stared up at her, noticing Aeka looked angrier than usual. Her eyes glared down at the cyan beauty as her hand clenched and unclenched repeatedly. Ryoko attempted to speak, but the princess wasn't about to let her have her say.  
  
"Shut up!" she snarled, stiffening for emphasis. "Just shut up! I am sick and tired of watching a family fall apart over this! We are going to talk, whether you like it or not, and I will NOT leave this room unless you are with me!"  
  
"A-Aeka, what are you.?" Ryoko stammered, completely taken by surprise at the outburst. She scooted away from the fuming woman until her back came in contact with the wall. She noticed the diary lying forgotten among the folds of the sheets and picked it up, holding it protectively to her chest.  
  
Aeka's tone did a complete one-eighty, going from vicious to desperate. "Ryoko, you have aided in my rescue more than once, you have died so I could have one more chance at living, and you were there for me when I thought there was no hope for my heart! I know that no matter how hard I try, I could never fully repay you for all you have given me, but I pray that this will be a start."  
  
Ryoko's face became downcast as she felt the tears brimming in her eyes. "How can you help me?" she mumbled, turning away to hide her face. "No one can. I feel so worthless, Princess!"  
  
"Why?" Aeka insisted.  
  
"Because of me, Kyoko is dead! I should have been the one to take her sword!"  
  
The heiress snorted. She sat heavily on the futon, causing it to sag under her weight. "So you could have died instead? Listen, Ryoko, when Kyoko faced her decision, your wish meant nothing to her! You wanted to die to save the rest of us, but she died to save you. Deep in her mind, she knew that you had truly meant something to her. Not even Kagato could erase the feelings she held for you! They were too strong! But along with seeing your importance, she also knew that as long as she lived, you would die. She died for you because she loved you."  
  
"But I still feel worthless, like I lived for nothing," Ryoko said, shaking her head in disagreement.  
  
"You know what? I once felt like that, too." The oni peered out of the corner of her eye at Aeka, who herself looked on the verge of tears. Aeka returned the gaze and gave her rival a half-hearted smile. It hurt to talk about the time she felt useless to the world. The knowledge of the fact that she had lost the one most precious to her resurfaced, bringing tears to her crimson eyes.  
  
"When I found out that I had lost my grasp on Tenchi's heart, I just knew that a part of me had died. I thought no one could see and help ease the torment I felt. That's where I was wrong. You became like my guardian angel, my beacon of hope and light in darkness. Now it's my turn.  
  
"There was once a very wise Earthling who said, 'Why is death remembered and life forgotten?' Until now I never really understood what that meant. But my eyes were opened when I saw what I always thought of as the strongest family fall apart at the hands of death, because that's all they remembered!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Ryoko asked, suddenly aware of the slight sense of relief she felt at Aeka's presence. She slid forward to the monarch's side, keeping the journal safe in her arms.  
  
Aeka sighed heavily, and gently laid her hand on the book's blackened cover. She gave a small tug. The demon resisted, pulling it closer to her with a whimper.  
  
"Ryoko," Aeka kindly scolded, pulling unsuccessfully again against Ryoko's guard. Bringing her other hand in for back up, she tried once more. The pirate surrendered the diary against her will. The woman looked fondly down at her capture and ran her fingers along the surface of its cover. She traced the vine pattern that ran up its spine with a soft touch, taking in its twists and curls.  
  
"It's amazing that all we remember is Kyoko's death," she whispered. "We don't even bother to think of her childish personality, or of her odd sense of humor. We don't even think of how we came to her with our problems in full confidence that she would have a solution. All we know of her now is that damn blue sword."  
  
A single tear slid gracefully along Ryoko's cheek. "Do you know what it's like, Aeka," she said sadly, wiping her face, "what it's like to lose your best friend?"  
  
Aeka agreed. "I lost my very best of friends recently. Though we never got along that well, she was still one of the most important people in my life. I always turned to her for help, and she accepted me with open arms, despite some of the feuds we had and some of the insults we exchanged." She leaned against Ryoko's side, placing her arm around her waist and lying her head on her shoulder. "You mean so much to me Ryoko, and I miss you so much. I miss your spirit, your carefree attitude, everything. Most of all I miss the Space Pirate Ryoko who came to me when I needed her most. And as much as I want things to return to how they were, I know they can't. But that doesn't stop life from going on, and that shouldn't stop you from going on with it.  
  
"I'm not by any stretch of the imagination trying to tell you to forget Kyoko. I wouldn't do that. I'm trying to say that even though she is physically gone, she still lives on in our hearts and minds. Though we can't see her walk this Earth now, we can still share memories. I know you will see her again one day, somehow, but.Kyoko would never want you to dwell on her. She'd want you to let her go and live your life to the fullest. And that day you do see her again, do not remember that she has died, remember that she has been reborn."  
  
Ryoko's tears had begun to fall freely. Aeka's words lingered in her ears like a smack in the face as reality began to set in. The princess was right; she had wasted days crying over her friend's death when she should have been celebrating Kyoko's life. It was what she needed to hear.  
  
As though reading the other's mind, the two stood up in unison, ready to face the world together. They walking silently from the room, side by side.  
  
"Wait here," Aeka ordered. She glided down the hallway to the very last room and stepped inside.  
  
Looking around, she took in the blue and silver walls and bed, the furniture such a light shade of oak it would have looked disgraceful anywhere else; the room was a perfect reflection of the pirate's personality. Wild yet calm, like an ocean of mysteries. She smiled as a sudden sense of peace settled around her. Kyoko was there, she could feel it.  
  
A soft voice reached her ears, so quiet it almost wasn't there.  
  
"Thank you," it whispered.  
  
Aeka nodded as she deposited the diary in a nearby desk drawer. The peacefulness disappeared, leaving the room still and quiet once more.  
Ryoko was nervous, despite the fact that Aeka walked confidently by her side. She had treated the family like shit lately, blocking them out and yelling at them when they tried to help her. As she finished her descent down the steps, she worried about how they would accept her now.  
  
Suddenly, she stopped moving, realizing she couldn't face them. It scared her to think she'd be turned away. It felt even worse to know she would deserve it.  
  
"Aeka, I."  
  
"Aeka!! Where are you? Dinner's getting cold!" Sasami called, cutting Ryoko off.  
  
Aeka looked to the nervous girl. She took Ryoko's hand and quickly gave it a reassuring squeeze.  
  
"Don't be scared," she said, smiling.  
  
"Aeka, this is no time to dwaddle! Dinner's ready!!" Sasami scolded, storming in on the scene. She abruptly stopped when she caught sight of Ryoko. "Ryoko oneechan?"  
  
Okay, Ryoko, this is it, you can do it, the pirate thought to herself. She took a deep breath and prepared to speak. But nothing came. Instead, she was tackled playfully to the ground and embraced in a powerful hug by the bouncy little chef.  
  
"You're back! You're back!" Sasami squealed happily.  
  
Ryoko laughed as innocence rejoiced. She returned the hug, relieved to be accepted again.  
  
Attracted by the giggles of the girls, Tenchi and Washuu ran to the stairs, closely followed by Kiyone, Nobuyuki, and lastly Mihoshi. Sasami noticed them and backed off Ryoko, who stood uneasily on her feet, soon to be knocked over yet again by the bubbly blonde GP.  
  
"Ryoko! You're okay! I've been so worried! I've heard you up in your room but I never saw you and it scared me soooooooo much, but now you're okay and everything's fine and our family's back together and Ryoko, you're not breathing!" Mihoshi babbled, unaware that she was the reason the demon wasn't breathing.  
  
Ryoko tried motioning for Kiyone to get her partner off, but Mihoshi just squeezed her tighter.  
  
"Ba.ka! I.ca-can't breathe! Leg.go!" she gasped. Seeing her troubles, Tenchi reached down and pried the ditz off his girlfriend.  
  
As air filled her lungs once again, Ryoko decided it was best if she stayed sitting down for a minute, in case there were any more spontaneous attacks. She looked humbly at the floor and prepared to say what had to be said.  
  
"Everyone," she began, color rising in her cheeks, "I'm really sorry about how I've acted lately. I've been, for lack of better terms, a bitch, and I know that an apology isn't going to erase what I did, but I just wanted."  
  
Tenchi cut her off by kneeling down and taking hold of her chin. He raised her face and peered into her saddened eyes. How he could lose himself in those golden pools of light. Together they leaned in and met in a tender, loving kiss that sent Mihoshi into tears, Washuu giggling madly, and Nobuyuki whooping like a perverted fraternity boy.  
  
"I'm glad you're back, Ryoko-chan," the successor said when they had broken off. He caressed her cheek as he brought her into his arms, and she trembled at the lightness of his touch.  
  
Aeka watched with a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Little did the oni know, but with a flicker of red hair and the flash of a violet eye, the sadness of Kyoko's death left Ryoko's mind entirely.  
  
"Aeka told me that I wasn't remembering Kyoko's life, I was only remembering her damn blue.sword." Ryoko said, a sudden thought crossing her mind. She stood up and looked at the princess, a wide grin plastered on her face.  
  
Aeka's expression was impassive, though she knew exactly what was coming. And Ryoko spoke.  
  
"Unbelievable. Aeka, the First Crown Princess, Miss Prim and Proper, actually said 'damn'. In fact," Ryoko paused, pretending to think back, "this isn't the first time. You haven't been a very good girl lately."  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Aeka lied, turning her nose up.  
  
"Oh, I think you have every idea what I'm talking about."  
  
"I refuse to say anything on the matter."  
  
Tenchi laughed, glad to see his Ryoko back to normal. He took her by the hand and held his arm out for Aeka. Flustered at his offer, the older child of the Jurai royal family slipped her arm in his. Together, the entire family walked into the kitchen to enjoy the now stone cold dinner, leaving behind the past and heading towards the future.  
  
~*~  
  
That night, Ryoko had another dream. Not a nightmare this time. It was a strange dream, really. It seemed to take place in the future.  
  
It began with a little girl, who appeared to be only four years old. She had long and straight cyan hair with jet-black tips. Her eyes were deep pools of violet with flecks of gold here and there, and her skin was lightly tan. But the thing that made her such a unique little girl was the mark on the left side of her neck and face. It was black, and it looked like flames. She was wearing a royal blue cat suit with a black dress that split at the sides and had big puffy shoulders. She loved the outfit. She looked vaguely like her mother in it.  
  
At the beginning of the dream she was standing in a very grassy yard in front of a large, rectangular shaped marble stone. It was pearly white, and large, green vines with red and black roses grew up along its sides. On the front, deep crevices graced its otherwise smooth surface.  
  
Writing.  
  
The little girl was staring at it, but it was in a language she did not understand. She had begun to learn to speak Japanese and English, but this was clearly not either.  
  
There was a gentle breeze, and it tossed her hair into her eyes. No matter how hard she tried to keep it out, it just kept blowing back.  
  
"Kyoko!" A voice drifted across the yard to the little girl's ears. She turned around to see two people standing on the opposite side of the yard. One was a woman with cyan, spiked and wild hair, golden yellow eyes, and milky white skin. The other was a man with long, black hair that was kept back in a ponytail, chocolate brown eyes, and a tan splashed perfectly on his skin. The little girl recognized them both at once.  
  
"Mamma! Papa!" Kyoko ran as fast as her feet would carry her and she jumped into the man's arms.  
  
"Hey, Chibi-chan!" Tenchi said as he embraced the small girl. Kyoko giggled childishly, but her laughter soon turned into a scowl.  
  
Ryoko, who had been off to the side, noticed her daughter's face.  
  
"What's wrong, Kyoko?" she asked.  
  
"My hair," the little girl said simply, pointing to the blue and black strands in her eyes.  
  
"Come here," Ryoko gently ordered as the successor put the child down.  
  
Kyoko hobbled over to her mother, and she motioned for her to turn around. Within a matter of minutes, Kyoko had a long blue braid swinging behind her head.  
  
"Better?" The little girl smiled and nodded vigorously.  
  
"So, little one, what have you been up to?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"I was looking at that big stone over there," she replied innocently, pointing to what had earlier held her attention.  
  
The demon princess looked at what her daughter was showing her, and her face fell. She walked over and stood in front of it, her eyes full of sadness. After a moment, she felt a tug on the sleeve of her dress. She looked down into her daughter's curious face and smiled.  
  
"What is it?" Kyoko asked.  
  
Ryoko looked up at her husband, who had followed Kyoko over, and he nodded.  
  
"It's called a headstone. Do you want to know who it belongs to?" the summoner said, looking back at the one hanging off her arm.  
  
"Who?" Kyoko asked sweetly.  
  
Ryoko knelt down in front of her and took hold of both her daughter's tiny hands in her own. Though the size of their fingers contrasted greatly, Ryoko felt the girl grip her hands as best as she could. "It belongs to my best friend. She had long hair like yours; only, hers was red with black at the end. Her eyes were a dark purple, like yours, and her skin was a little lighter than yours. And, she had a mark exactly like this one," she said as she traced along Kyoko's mark with her finger, causing the child to swat at her mother's hand, laughing. "And guess what?"  
  
"What?" Kyoko said, interested.  
  
"Her name was Kyoko!"  
  
"Like me!" the little one squeaked.  
  
Tenchi couldn't help it. He chuckled silently at his little girl, his very flesh and blood. Then, he spoke up.  
  
"She was a space pirate, too."  
  
"She was." Ryoko nodded in agreement.  
  
Kyoko's face turned from overjoyed to confused. "But I thought you were a space pirate!" she said, poking her mother in the chest, right below the blood colored gem.  
  
"I am," the summoner responded, taking hold of her daughter's hand again. Kyoko looked absolutely lost.  
  
"Never mind that," Ryoko said, seeing the girl's confusion.  
  
"So where is she?" Kyoko asked, turning around to face the headstone, as if expecting a red hared girl to pop out of it.  
  
"She...she died," her mother said.  
  
"Oh. How?"  
  
Ryoko looked sadly the black dress that covered Kyoko's back and replied, "You wouldn't understand."  
  
Kyoko looked back at her mother. "Tell me!" she persisted, her face formed into the puppy dog plead; a skill she had mastered, compliments of her grandmother, Washuu.  
  
Ryoko shook her head. The little girl tried to win her over by pouting and sticking out her bottom lip, but no prevail. Instead, her mother made a promise.  
  
"All right. I'll tell you when you grow up, I promise."  
  
It wasn't what Kyoko wanted, but she gave in.  
  
"What does it say?" she asked.  
  
The three looked back at the stone while Ryoko read it.  
  
"It says:  
  
'In memory of Kyoko,  
  
Bearer of the Scar of Fire.  
  
Though the flame has died,  
  
The light will live on...  
  
...Forever.'"  
  
~Notes from Minagi~  
  
Post story author's rant:  
  
And I'm.done! Whoopee!!  
  
I really have nothing to say except I've really enjoyed writing this and getting feedback. Thanks all for sticking by me (and not blasting me on my first fanfic)! It's been fun, and I have every intention of continuing my writing. When I finish "On Wings of Silver Moonlight", I'll be back with the sequel to this (if I get enough positive feedback. You people gotta tell me if you want me to post it!).  
  
Oh! There's one more thing. The part at the very beginning is the second verse of a song called "Our Farewell", by Within Temptation. Meaning, I unfortunately don't own it, even though I really would like to. It is by far one of the greatest songs out there, as is its band. But, no, it's property of Within Temptation and their record company, and my psychiatrist is trying to help me see past this. He he he.  
  
Well, I guess that's about all. I love you people!  
  
Always and Forever,  
  
Minagi  
  
Ps. I do suppose I could give you a vague over view of the sequel. It's going to be called "The Awakening", and it'll take place years after this story. Tenchi and Ryoko are married with one child and Aeka's become kind of an ambassador. She comes home from a check up with the royal family with news of neumorous massacres on Jurai. No one has been able to see who's causing them and lived to tell about it. All that it known is it's a guy and a girl, and the girl bears the sign of the fourth goddess.  
  
Wow, really shitty summary, sorry. 


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